First Contacts
by Wedjatqi
Summary: ALLIANCE FIC - John makes an unexpected and uncomfortable first contact with those from the Wraith-free Alliance territory, in the form of an petite beautiful warrior named Emmagan. JT. AU. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** First Contacts  
**Part**: 1/?  
**Rating**: T (may have to upgraded at a later date)  
**Disclaimers**: I make no profit from this and do not plan to (if only you could get paid for your hobbies!)  
**Spoilers**: Set in AU world, set season 1-2.

**Note: **Part of Fic Tag with Gater101. This is a Prequel to my previous story 'Late Night Visitors', which sets up this new AU reality, which I will call the Alliance AU.

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The high pitched screeching alien alarm penetrated right into John's brain as he dashed down the cob web styled corridor and into the room beyond. The sound of the alarm was almost as painful as the burning wound to his left arm, but he ignored both as he lifted his weapon higher and fired on the massive drone reaching for Rodney.

The creature shuddered under the rapid fire of bullets, but it still had enough life left in it to grab at Rodney. Rodney's yelp was lost over the sound of an explosion from somewhere in the distance. John fired on the Wraith again and it finally dropped to the ground, one hand still clamped around the front of Rodney's shirt.

"You alright?" John demanded of Rodney as he headed through the room towards the terrified scientist.

"Do I look alright?!" Rodney all but screamed back at him as he shrugged off the dead Wraith's grip.

"Did it feed on you?" John asked the most important question, ignoring Rodney's usual panicked inclinations. After a year working together in Sumner's lead team, John had finally reached the point where he could tolerate Rodney for more than half an hour at a time. Truth be told they had become friends, though John still had to wonder what kind of crazy world he lived in which that was true. That Rodney was complaining so much told John that the man was alright, but he needed to be sure.

Rodney had appeared to finally understand John's concern and he clutched at his own front, pressing a questing palm over his heart.

"Could you have left it any longer to shoot it? It almost feed on me!" Rodney protested, his face pale, but John was reassured now and turned his attention back to the situation around them.

"Did you download what we need?" John asked as he turned back towards the open door to the room.

"Not yet, but I've got the connection established."

"Well, hurry up," John protested.

"Do you have any idea how much skill it takes just to get these two entirely different systems to communicate?" Rodney demanded.

"Just get it done, Rodney," John ordered him.

Another explosion rang out, drawing both their attentions back to the dangers around them.

"What was that?" Rodney asked worriedly.

John pressed the ear piece of his radio tighter into his ear. "Colonel Sumner, this is Sheppard. What's going on out there?" John asked. There had been no mention of explosions on this mission, but then there had been no mention of Wraith returning to this, supposedly, abandoned Wraith Base.

"Sheppard…report!" Sumner shouted back over the background noise of gunfire.

"Sir, Rodney is still downloading the data," John replied trying not to feel annoyed that his superior hadn't answered his question.

"Tell him to get his ass in gear!" Sumner shouted back.

"Yes, Sir," John replied, ignoring Rodney's mutterings behind him, "What's your status?" He asked Sumner.

Gunfire continued to echo over the radio connection. "We've got them held down here for now, but you need to hurry up."

"Yes, Sir," John replied trying not to give a glib reply. He turned to Rodney, who was fortunately back to work.

The Wraith alarm abruptly shut off, leaving John's ears ringing worse than they had been with the sound. With the noise abruptly gone John could now properly hear the P90 fire down the hallway. But, as he edged forward, he heard something else. The room shuddered suddenly, causing a thick cloud of dust to fall down on him from above. John looked up towards the ceiling and held his breath as he listened intently. There hadn't been any sound of an explosion accompanying the quake.

"What was that?" Rodney whispered worriedly from across the room.

John shook his head as he moved further away from the scientist, past the long table to his left, towards the open doorway. "I don't know."

"Maybe a quake, this moon could be unstable," Rodney suggested, his voice still quiet and nervous.

"Maybe," John replied absently as he neared the doorway. The gunfire in the distance had dropped slightly and that other unidentifiable sound became clearer.

"Maybe that's why the Wraith abandoned this listening post in the first place," Rodney suggested, clearly having lapsed into babble to help him feel better.

"Maybe," John repeated as he peered around one side of the doorway. Boots thundered down the hall and Wraith emerged from the opposite direction to Sumner's foxhole. John squeezed the trigger on complete instinct. One large Wraith drone fell forward, but there were still many behind it and they were too close. John retreated through the open door, knowing it would be cutting him and Rodney off from any retreat, but where else could they go?

The Wraith filled the doorway and John kept shooting. He saw, over the shoulders of those invading the room, that other Wraith were heading on past the doorway; right towards Sumner and the rest of the team's back.

John snapped his free hand to his radio. "Colonel, you've got Wraith heading in on your six," he shouted his warning.

The room shuddered again sending more dust from above and John felt it falling on his hair and down the back of his neck.

He shot down several more Wraith before the P90 jammed. He dropped the weapon instantly and reached for his sidearm. He emptied half a round into the Wraith almost upon him and the body fell forward, forcing John further back. He could hear Rodney's sidearm firing from behind him, but another Wraith warrior filled John's view and there was nothing he could do to help Rodney just yet. Pale Wraith hands clamped around John's hand in which he held his sidearm. The bizarre sick feeling of the sharp edges of the centre of the feeding palms instantly made John release his weapon and pull his hand to safety from the Wraith's grip. It grinned as it tossed the weapon aside, so John pulled out his knife and thrust forward at the creature.

It snarled as the blade sliced along its forearm as it forced John's arm aside, but the Wraith was still moving forward and it shoved its body weight into John. The force staggered John back and the table was suddenly against his backside. The Wraith thrust up with both palms and John allowed the blow to knock him backwards onto the table rather than resist and possibly allow those feeding hands to latch onto him.

John's back hit the table and he pulled up his legs, forcing his boots between him and the Wraith. The Wraith growled at him, clamping its hands around his calves, but John kicked out forcefully. The Wraith staggered back slightly and John used that momentum to move further along the table, but the Wraith reached forward again. John swung out with his knife, only for the table to shake under him. He looked up just in time to see another Wraith had jumped up onto the table behind his head and was reaching down towards him. Caught between two Wraith and stuck on his back John was in trouble.

The room shuddered violently around them again and the ceiling above the table abruptly caved inwards. Rubble and dust collapsed down around them, but amidst the mess John saw a shadow fall down towards him. The table vibrated under him again as something landed over him and he saw light glint off shining metal swinging above him. The Wraith behind him on the table snarled, but the sound was abruptly cut off. John looked up towards it and watched in bizarre shock as the Wraith's head parted company from its body. Light sparkled off metal again drawing his eyes immediately to the bright sword held high above him. John followed up the arm which held the weapon, wondering if his neck was to be next, and finally his vision cleared enough for him to understand what was happening.

A woman stood astride over him, her form dark except for the red brown hair braided back from her face to fall in long wavy curls down her back. She met his gaze for a moment, looking down at him along the length of her toned supple form, her clothing hugging the appealing curves of her body. One delicate eyebrow lifted at him before she swung out.

Another short sword sailed over him and John heard another Wraith head hit the floor beside the table. He should have helped, should have climbed up from his prone position lying between her feet, but he remained still for a second longer staring up in complete awe at the woman stood over him.

She turned, moving with a speed that was shocking as she stepped away from him. She ran down the length of the table and flipped elegantly off the end to land gracefully amidst the rubble and dust. And then she was off through the far door chasing down the Wraith, who appeared to be running away from her.

He was in love.

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TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: **As I am working hard at finishing Questioning Way at the mo, I am posting up the next block of chapters for this story in one go. Oh, and Final Days to do as well – too much to do and not enough time!!

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It was several months before he saw her again, and it was an abrupt reappearance.

The village was one of your typical medieval style villages; full of thatched roofs, basic clothing and lots of mud. Though the sun was shining enough to have dried out most of the muddy well used road they followed from the Gate into the sprawling village. Colonel Sumner led the way, his P90 held ever ready in his hands. Rodney plodded along behind him, his attention split between his scanner and grumbling at the landscape. Ford marched along behind, his attention momentarily distracted by a couple of buxom ladies who passed by on the road. John smiled at them politely before returning his attention to protecting the team's six; not that there appeared that there was going to be any trouble here, but you never knew. Ford stepped in a steaming pile of something and swore, blushing as he turned away from the young women's sniggers as they moved away. John tried not to smile at Ford's misfortune, but it was difficult.

They followed the bustling flow of people into the village proper and Sumner paused to one side, causing Rodney to narrowly avoid ploughing into the Colonel's back.

Sumner gave Rodney one of his standard disapproving glares. "What do your readings say, Doctor?"

John turned away slightly, his eyes sweeping over the crowd of passers by pouring in and out of the village. The arrangement of buildings looked pretty random, other than the fact that they mostly encircled a large open area in the centre, which appeared to be a large market place.

"The reading is weak, but it's definitely a power source," Rodney reported as he fiddled with some buttons on his scanner before he looked up towards the centre of the village. "It's definitely coming from something here."

"Where exactly?" Sumner asked.

"It's too weak to be sure, I won't know until I'm right on top of it, but it's here somewhere."

"Doesn't look like the kind of place that has advanced power sources," Ford said sceptically.

Sumner turned and studied the village himself. "Never the less, we need to find the source. We'll split up into two groups," John held his breath as he always did at this point. If he was teamed up with either Rodney or Ford it would be okay, but John could tell Sumner wasn't in the mood to spend any amount of time alone with Rodney today. "Lieutenant, you stick with the Doctor. The Major and I will scout out what we can of the village." John schooled his features so as not to betray his disappointment, but as Ford passed John caught his brief sympathetic look.

Rodney obediently followed Ford into the village and John was left with the Colonel. Sumner led the way in the market area, and John followed along behind.

The market stalls held an elaborate mix of food; alien veg, loaves of bread, and a strange green looking cheese, as well as a large selection of fabrics and shoes. People moved around the stalls with purpose, adding their purchases into cloth bags hanging from their shoulders. John moved a little closer to one stall as they passed to see what the locals were using for currency. It appeared to be pieces of a plant; weird. John opened his mouth to comment on his find, but then remembered he who he was with and kept quiet.

They reached the corner of the market area and the sound of hammering could be heard over the loud market chatter. Sumner led the way down an avenue, following the sounds and flow of people. Blacksmiths lined the avenue, the hot air and steam billowing out over the crowd. Sumner moved closer to the entrance of one and John noticed that inside the heavily built men and women were fashioning bladed weapons. John caught Sumner's look, but they moved on without comment. The next blacksmiths was also lined with a wide selection of swords and knives. John started to feel a little less comfortable; why did a peaceful looking busy village like this have so many weapons?

"For trade perhaps," Sumer suggested as they moved into smaller open area.

"Or maybe there's a lot of trouble in these parts," John replied, trying desperately not to use a cowboy accent.

"Maybe they're to defend themselves against the Wraith," Sumner replied grimly.

John nodded unhelpfully as they paused to look out at a new open area before them. Benches were arranged across the space, their occupants all relaxed and cheerful. John guessed that was most likely due to the strong smelling alcohol they were drinking. The large building beyond the benches had the look of a tavern. Sumner moved headed towards it. They had learnt from experience that taverns were usually good sources of information.

Dried flowers were hanging from the edge of the thick thatch of the tavern, the sweet smell drifting in the air to mask some of the alcohol. John wondered what his chances were of persuading Sumner to sit and have a beer out in the sunshine. Unlikely, but John wished for a moment that he could. Everyone looked relaxed and peaceful, and he wished he could drink it all in himself for awhile. Instead he followed along obediently behind the Colonel as the older man pushed open the tavern's door and they stepped into the room within.

The circular shape of the barrel of a gun turned instantly towards them, pausing a foot away from the Colonel's face. John brought up his weapon, but as his vision adjusted to the tavern's light level he saw the other set of weapons raise towards him in response. Abruptly the room filled was shouting and cursing, but all John focused on was the ugly, Genii looking weapons focused on him and Sumner.

Sumner lifted his hands in a rather uncharacteristic display of patience. "We apologise for interrupting; we'll leave," he said calmly and moved to step backwards.

"Do not move!" The closest man shouted at Sumner, the gun shaking slightly in his hand.

John studied the man holding the weapon on Sumner; the man looked very nervous, his forehead was sweaty and he was chewing on his lower lip. He looked back over his shoulder towards the centre of the room and John shifted his position to see the full extent of the situation.

There had to be twenty people in here, all poised tensely in a Mexican standoff. One group were dressed in a sleek uniform their weapon hands steadier, but they still looked nervous and a little trigger happy for John's liking. Their weapons were currently split between focusing on a central person, the group holding John and Sumner in the game and now also on them.

"Who are these people?" Mr Nervous demanded loudly at the rest of the room. "Are these more of your spies?!"

John edged minutely closer to Sumner. This was all about to kick off and there were a lot of weapons in here and there would be a lot of bullets flying through the air pretty soon.

"We have nothing to do with this situation," Sumner began to explain, but the central person moved and abruptly all weapons were clicked and readjusted; the tension level jumping up even higher. Everything was hanging on a knife's edge; everyone nervous and aggressive, waiting for anything to set off the powder keg of destruction.

Mr Nervous, who still had his weapon on Sumner, turned, his entire body shaking with adrenaline. John looked passed him to the central person, who appeared to be stuck in the middle of this standoff and he almost gasped as he recognised her.

The curves were hidden under a long dark coat, but the hair and beautiful features were unmistakable. She had one arm around the neck of a man, held against her as a hostage or possibly a shield. She turned in the middle of the room, the light from the main front tavern window casting over her features.

Her attitude was the same; there was no hint of nervousness to her, unlike those around her, but there was aggression there, carefully controlled and ready to be unleashed. Her swords were missing, her hands empty of any weapon, but John knew she was just as dangerous, perhaps more so.

She turned her attention to Mr Nervous and her eyes slid past him to meet John's and he saw her flash of recognition, which he felt rather pleased about.

She looked pointedly at him for a moment longer before she moved and the fight abruptly kicked off. John liked to think she had been warning him, but he didn't get the chance to ask. He dropped and dived to the side with Sumner, as the air filled with rapid firing and gun smoke, followed swiftly by cries and the rapid impacts of flesh on flesh. Then everything went quiet.

John peered out from under the sturdy table he and Sumner had taken shelter, to see only groaning or unconscious men laying around the room and beyond them the open back door of the tavern.

John rushed through the mess towards the back door, but as he emerged out into the sunlight he knew he was too late. She was gone.

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TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Part**: 3/?

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John held himself still, all his attention focused on the distant sounds outside his prison. He held his breath, hoping he had heard a voice and praying he hadn't heard the buzz of a Wraith dart. After a long moment he gathered he had heard neither. Damn it.

In fact all he could hear was the gentle chirping of some annoyingly cheerful birds high up in the trees above his prison, but that only made him feel worse. The birds on this planet, like most, tended to stay quiet around people, and especially so around Wraith; which meant no one was around. Crap.

He tried his radio again, but it was no less broken than before. Grumbling and muttering to himself, he pulled it free of his vest and guessed the best thing he could do was to try and repair it. Not that he had a clue how to fix something so badly broken, but it was worth a go. Not like he had anything else to do. He picked the best corner of his prison and sat down with the radio in his hands.

It was perhaps the most humiliating of situations to find himself. If he got out of this hole then he was pretty sure he would never live it down. He should have seen the trap, should have been looking where he was walking, but no instead he had fallen into it. He had been so busy looking at the life signs detector, tracking the lost locals of a Wraith hit village, when the horrid sound of a dart had buzzed above the trees. John had hurried under the thicker cover of the tree canopy, his eyes upturned towards the dark belly of a dart just visible through the leaves – when the ground had gone out from under him. He told himself that the trap had been expertly made and that was why he hadn't noticed it, but as he had never actually seen the trap from above he couldn't really use that excuse.

What was fortunate for him was that whoever had built this trap had not seen fit to equip it with spikes at the bottom, which meant that, at least for now, he was alive. But his radio didn't work and he had only basic supplies with him, which meant that he was in trouble.

He had been part of two teams sent by Atlantis to this planet which had been in the path of a Wraith Hive ship they had been tracking. However the locals hadn't seemed all that worried by the news. They hadn't been hit by the Wraith in a long time and were adamant that they would be fine. The planet was pretty close to the border of the Alliance, and though the planet wasn't under Alliance 'protection' the locals felt the Wraith would never risk attacking so close to their territory. They were wrong.

Half of the village wanted to leave when the attack began, whilst the rest refused and rushed off into the forest in panic, believing they could simply hide. Maybe they were right, because in the good hour and a half since John had fallen into the trap, he hadn't heard another dart. Maybe the Wraith had moved on to another part of the planet? Because the last thing John wanted was to be 'rescued' by Wraith.

John looked at his watch again – make that two hours and the radio was clearly broken beyond repair. The rest of the Atlantis teams were either hiding in the forest or had retreated back through the Gate. They would wait a few hours until they tried to get through again, so hopefully a search and rescue team would be on its way soon. That was if they didn't think a Wraith had gotten him.

He looked up at the sharp well cut edges of the deep trap. His five attempts to climb out had been spectacularly unsuccessful, and as he studied the well designed trap he began to reach a worrying conclusion: that the trap had been designed to capture people, not animals.

That thought did not keep him company as the day turned to night and the light of a new morning broke over the edge of his new home. He was almost out of water and he hadn't heard a single sound that held any hope of rescue. Where was Atlantis? Had they really left him behind? All he could do was sit here and wait to be found, or die first.

The sun was high when he heard the first voices and he stood up alert as he strained to listen to the distant sounds. He thought he heard shouting, but it faded. He risked calling out and heard movement near by. He called out again, but there wasn't a reply and he heard nothing more until the evening.

Unfortunately his 'rescue' party when they arrived did not look like locals and they didn't seem all that friendly. As beautiful as the small group of Amazon looking women were they did not look like they were about to show him the luxuries of their wonderful open minded society.

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TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Part**: 4/?

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From mud lined trap to metal cage; it wasn't much of an improvement in John's mind.

He had not had a good couple of days. After he had been hauled out of the forest trap he had been chained up and manhandled, though admittedly they had been super strong women, rather than men, who had thrown him into a cage on wheels alongside three other unhappy looking men. John had tried to explain who he was and that he had been part of the group that had tried to rescue people in the local village, but it had all fallen on deaf ears.

John's heart had dropped when the cart had been taken through the Gate - how would Atlantis be able to track him now? But, things only got worse from there as he and his fellow prisoners had been added to another larger group of other prisoners, all men and all chained up. John had tried to escape at that point, but that plan had ended pretty quickly at the end of several painful cattle prods. When he had come round he had been on board a ship and the bright blue light of hyperspace had glowed through the tiny port window he had been caged by beside.

He had been given water and a loaf of bread, but he had been kept caged away from the rest of the grubby and nervous looking men, no doubt due to his escape attempt. His vest, weapons, broken radio and even his belt had been taken off him. Fortunately his trousers fit well enough that he didn't miss the belt too much. His weapons however, he wished he still had with a passion.

The ship had finally dropped out of hyperspace perhaps a day later and he had lost some of his anger to awe as he stared out the small window at the massive complex space station at which the ship was docking. There had to be ten or more other ships already docked along the station and John focused his attention on studying as much as he could about the ships and technology around him.

He was clearly in Alliance territory as they were the only space faring group that John was aware of. But, from where he was crouched he could already see the diversity of the ships at the station. The Alliance, as far as Atlantis understood, was made up of a large collection of space faring worlds, who had all united together to battle the Wraith, very successfully to the point where there were no Wraith in their territory. The Wraith had been pushed out of a large area of the galaxy and they had not been happy about it and took that aggression out on all the rest of the worlds not under the Alliance cover. The only other contact Atlantis had with the Alliance was a rather nasty run in with some Genii rebels last year, but their government who were part of the Alliance, had denied all knowledge and all contact was cut off. So basically Atlantis knew next to nothing about the Alliance, so John decided he would learn as much as he could for Atlantis, but also to distract himself from the humiliation and nervousness he felt at his current situation.

He had been let out of his cage to join the rest of the men to be herded out of the ship and into a narrow corridor which presumably attached the ship to the station. He had clearly been labelled a 'trouble maker' as once he was in the corridor his chains had been adjusted so that his arms were behind his back – restrained at his wrists and above his elbows. The other prisoners also appeared to be cautious of him, keeping their distance as much as possible. He had tried to talk to them, but conversation was 'discouraged' by the guards and their cattle prods.

There were no windows in the narrow corridor they were all queued up in, so John contented himself with studying the other prisoners around him. They were dressed in various styles of clothing, some clearly from the same worlds, whilst others were not. There were even two who had what appeared to be purple skin and their eyes, when they lifted them enough for John to see, were also of a deep purple colour.

What was most apparent, and shocking for John, was how compliant all the prisoners were. They just all did as they were told and kept to themselves. Most kept their eyes down, like they were shamed or perhaps frightened. And that they clearly preferred not to be near John told him that they had a good understanding of what was going on and what would happen if they didn't do as they were told. John wished he did, or perhaps not.

The queue moved forward and John could now see that each man in turn had to stand up on a raised metal platform and a bright light passed over them twice before they were waved forward down to a room beyond. John's turn finally arrived and he stepped up onto the platform with curiosity. There were several guards and what looked like a bored scientist standing next to emitters on both sides of the platform. A bright yellow light swept down over him, as it had done to each of the men before, but unlike those previous occasions this time the light turned red before it shut off. John looked to his right to the scientist who had pulled forward a flat screen and was studying it with a frown. John craned his neck to see. He couldn't understand the language flashing up, but he understood the human outline and a large red circle around his right upper arm. They had detected his locater implant.

The scientist stepped up to John and held a small device to John's upper arm. John felt a brief burst of warmth against his arm and the scientist stepped away. The yellow light played over John again and this time there was no flash of red. They had disabled his locator. Crap. Another source of rescue crushed.

A blue light played out now, bathing him slowly as it had for the other men. A faint buzzing sensation played over John's skin. The light shut off and a guard nudged him forward. Guessing he had just been decontaminated, he stepped carefully down from the platform, aware of how much more difficult it was to walk down steep steps when your arms were pinned behind your back.

He stood patiently as the rest of the men were processed and then finally the far door of the room opened and the guards divided them all up into three groups. John's was last out and he was held back till the end so that guards could no doubt keep an extra eye on him. His group were then marched out into a bustling area of activity.

The station had the vibe of an airport; everyone moving quickly through it from one place to another. Everything was clean and well kept, but it was spartan and dull. As the corridor they were walked down opened up John found himself in what was clearly a market hall. But, it was a tidy, quiet kind of place, full of people who were more interested in completing their business than talking with anyone. John got a good eye full of several tables of weaponry that ranged from swords and guns, to large technological looking devices. Rodney would have loved it here. John was pushed on and they reached their destination a few moments later. The far end of the market hall had more open space and along one wall was one large stall, in front of which stood various waist high cages…full of people.

John's group were herded towards two empty cages. As John waited for his turn to be pushed inside, he casually checked out the area around him. If he got away he might be able to lose himself in the market crowd. Of course he had no idea where he was or how to get off a space station, but he could work that out later.

A cattle prod slammed into his side and he cried out as the electricity danced along all his nerve endings. He fell down to his knees and without his arms to support him he barely managed to stop himself from falling forward onto his face. The prod was pulled back and he panted to get his breath back as the pain receded. The floor was a shiny marble like material he noticed as he worked to ignore the numb tingling sensation throughout his middle. Two feet appeared beside him and he looked up at a smirking older woman, who held a cattle prod in her hand.

"I see we have a trouble maker here," she said with what John considered relish rather than annoyance.

John worked to regain his breath before he answered. "My father would agree with you."

She frowned at him and nodded to the guards behind John, who unstrapped his arms from behind him and his hands were abruptly free. Unfortunately he was in no state to do anything about his new freedom, but almost immediately his hands were pulled round to his front and chained up again. He was then unceremoniously shoved into the cage and the door was slammed shut behind him. The cage was too low to make anything but sitting comfortable. The others in the cage had settled down already leaving John with the very front of the cage in which to sit. There were flat pieces of thin metal spread over the floor of the cage to make sitting on the bars slightly more comfortable. With an angry grumble John sat down with a loud grunt and glared up at the stall owner through the bars of his new prison. She smiled down at him and turned away to a large electronic board on which she began to enter information. John watched the unknown language pass over the screen for all in the market to see. He might not be able to read the details, but he understood what he was seeing and his worst prediction was finally confirmed; he was a slave for sale.

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John sat sullen and grumpy in his cage for the rest of the day. More people had begun to arrive in the station and the market area had filled up with a massive crowd, many of which came over the to the slave stall.

Now John knew what cattle felt like in a market. At least no one was leading him around by his nose and hitting him with a stick. Well, not yet anyway. Though judging by the eclectic group of women looking over the cages he couldn't be too sure that his future wouldn't include something along those lines.

He watched the greedy eyes studying him. At first he had tried telling people who he was, but had given up on that as it had worked again him, only resulting in the seller raising his 'price' in response. He had been infinitely insulted by that and had begun to take out his frustrations on the stall keeper. She had responded to his outbursts with the cattle prod, which had one fortunate side affect of dissuading several women from 'buying' him. But, the tingling numbing sensation from the prods was getting too uncomfortable for him to keep up that routine, so he had lapsed into angry silence.

His future did not look good at this point. If he was sold who knew where he would end up and judging by the way some of the sold slaves were treated when they were handed over by the stall owner, John wasn't too keen on that way out. If he put up enough protests he had hoped to put people off buying him, but his price was high enough for him to understand that the stall owner intended to get a good price for him. It wouldn't be too long until one woman with a sparkle in her eye paid for him. John tried to control the shudder he felt at that thought. So, he did his best to appear difficult and unmanageable by glaring at the onlookers and to keep himself amused he took every opportunity to make snide comments at the stall owner.

That was until he saw 'her' across the room.

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TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Part**: 5/?

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She tilted her head as she recognised him and he returned her frown with an embarrassed smile. Her frown deepened as she disappeared behind a group of gawkers. He craned his neck around the whispering women who were currently haggling over his price, but the warrior woman was gone. Crap!

The crowd of hagglers parted suddenly and she stepped through. The other women all moved away with a quickness that told him a lot about the warrior woman's importance.

She stood tall and proud above the cage, her frown deepening as she no doubt became certain that she recognised him. Her dark coat just hid the glint of light off weaponry at her waist and hip. Her hair was braided tightly back from her face, but the loose long wavy curls still draped down over her shoulders. There were two swords mounted on her back, crossed, ready to be unsheathed and used in an instant and he remembered the deadly quickness of her.

"Hi," John said as casually as possible, his arms crossed over his chest as he tried to ignore the fact that he was chained up inside a metal cage.

A tiny smile caught one corner of her lips and suddenly he had real hope. Her gaze moved from his eyes to his shoulders and down the front of his jacket. The other women had been looking at him with a more nefarious intent, but she was clearly looking at his uniform. He remained still under her scrutiny and enjoyed the chance to study her in return.

There was a sweeping black tattoo down one side of her throat, which looked like a Wraith pattern. He had heard a rumour that in the higher levels of the Alliance military warriors who had killed a Wraith Queen in hand to hand combat took that Queen's tattoo as their own. He studied the lines of it now and wondered how long the Queen had lasted against her.

He realised that despite the fact that she had saved his life once, perhaps twice, before he still didn't really know anything about her. Clearly she was an Alliance warrior and judging by the distance the others were keeping from her, she was well known. But, was that from respect or from fear?

"I'm from Atlantis," he said breaking the silent study when it became too long for his comfort. One of her eyebrows twitched slightly which told him she knew the name, but she didn't seem all that impressed. He smiled up at her, trying out one of his more charming smiles.

She frowned at his smile, lifting an eyebrow again. He toned down the smile, but kept looking up at her, which was a very enjoyable view anyway. Her eyelids lowered as she looked at him, as if she had somehow read his mind and then she actually rolled her eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but her attention had shifted away from him as the stall owner appeared.

"Mistress Emmagan, I am honoured that you would visit my stall," the stall owner said as she bowed lightly to the warrior.

John looked up at the older woman who had been a little too happy with the cattle prods. He held back his nasty comment, for he had finally learnt the warrior woman's name.

"He is far too expensive," the warrior said. It had been the first time he had heard her speak and though the voice was soft and pleasing he found himself focusing on the comment.

"Hey!" He protested before he realised what he was saying. She ignored him, but he got the distinct impression somehow that she was amused.

"I assure you Mistress Emmagan, he is a very valuable specimen."

"Will you _stop_ calling me that!" John spat up at the stall owner.

The cruel woman squinted down at him as she reached for her cattle prod. "Though he is a little high spirited as you can see. I am sure he can be trained."

John opened his mouth to tell her exactly what kind of training he had and how he would be happy to share that military training with her. However, Mistress Emmagan spoke up again, fortunately distracting the stall owner from her intent to punish him.

"I will pay half of what you are asking."

John was unsure if he should be pleased that he was being 'bought' by this woman or not.

"Mistress, I know that you do not frequent these stalls that often, but I assure you that his price is…" The woman finally noticed the frosty change to the warrior's mood.

John looked up at the older woman aware that she had just insulted the warrior. She appeared to realise her mistake as well and John was immensely pleased to watch the colour drain from her face. "Mistress, I meant no insult," she spluttered as she bowed deeply from her waist. Her lowered face brought her closer to John's level and he gave her an amused look. She frowned back at him before she stood upright again. He would probably pay for that later but for now it felt good to be able to get back at her in some small way.

"He is a fine male specimen, Mistress," the stall owner began as she stood upright again, falling into her seller's patter. "He is strong, reasonably intelligent and quite pretty. I am sure he would be a beneficial addition to your servants or if you wish him for male companionship he would have to be tamed somewhat." John glared at the woman and worked not to lose his temper at being treated like this. "I have already received several offers for this specimen." John was pretty sure she had put extra emphasis on 'specimen' now just to piss him off.

"You will sell him to me for half the price you are asking," Mistress Emmagan stated simply. There was no aggression or implied violence to her voice, but the effect was the same.

"Yes, of course, Mistress."

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TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Part**: 6/?

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The chains were released from his wrists and John dropped his arms to his sides, making sure he didn't show any sign of the relief he felt. He wanted to rub some feeling back into his wrists, but he didn't want to show any weakness right now.

The stall owner frowned at him as she set his former chains to one side.

"He should really be chained, Mistress, as is expected. And he's a runner if ever I saw one," she muttered. "He's tried it already, several times."

John felt that was an exaggeration, but didn't point that out.

Emmagan had her attention out across the market hall, but she turned back towards the seller, her eyes meeting John's briefly along the way. "He will not run."

John felt a little slighted at her assumption, but then she had just possibly saved him, hopefully. Of course the truth was that she was right as he realised he didn't have any intention of running. This beautiful warrior was his ticket off this station and hopefully she had bought him for the same reason and not because she actually wanted him as her slave.

Emmagan took a small electronic pad from the stall owner, no doubt confirmation of her purchase, which she dropped into a deep pocket in her long coat and she stared back at the slave trader. The woman, realising that she was no longer required, moved away making out that she had other things to do. As she passed him John felt her eyes on him, but he purposefully ignored her, holding his chin up and away from her. He had some choice words for her, but now was not the time and he heard her mutter as she moved away.

John turned to Mistress Emmagan. He noted that she was more petite than he had realised, but the shape of her shoulders and legs, even through her long fabric coat, told him how strong she was. Now standing higher than her he could see that the black tattoo pattern down her throat continued down over one collarbone to disappear under the neckline of her top. She looked back from studying the market around them and John quickly lifted his eyes to hers.

"Thank you," he told her.

That slight smile caught one corner of her lips again as she turned to look away at the crowd and John had the immediate feeling that she was not at ease here. Though they were on a space station and shut inside a large hall, John got the sudden feeling that they were out in the open and that there were many predators around. Emmagan looked back at him.

"You may not wish to thank me too soon. For now appearances must be kept. You need to walk two steps behind my shoulder at all times, do not speak unless someone asks you a direct question and do not make direct eye contact with anyone." She turned immediately and began to walk away.

John hurried to catch up with her and fell into step behind her right shoulder, wondering if either shoulder would do. He looked around at the market stalls and then remembered he wasn't supposed to make eye contact with anyone and lowered his gaze slightly. He instantly felt like those other men had done; less and he rebelled against it wanting to lift his head and stare at anyone and everyone. But, he had no idea what would happen if he did. He remembered the report on a world that Lieutenant Jones had taken a team to which had taken great offence to being spoken to directly and had refused to trade with Atlantis, practically running the team back through the Gate with literal pitchforks.

So, he kept his gaze down out of respect to Emmagan's orders and the fact that he really didn't have any idea how things were run here. But, on the good side he had an amazing opportunity to learn about the Alliance, so he took in everything around him as best he could as he kept up with Emmagan. She walked fast for someone with so much shorter legs than him. He transferred his attention to her back and onto the two swords on her back. The scabbards looked well cared for, but well used. The handles of the weapons were slightly shaped, which presumably meant that either the handles had been made specifically for her, or that she had been using them for so long that they had moulded to her hands. Either said a lot about how much fighting she did.

She led him out of the market hall and down the corridor along which he had been walked down earlier. At that time people had glanced over his chained form and the other men with a mixture of distaste and greedy interest. Now, no one paid him any attention. The corridor led to another, then a flight of stairs, packed with people moving up and down with purpose, but where most of the others left the staircase at the next few levels he and Emmagan continued on up several more flights.

She took the sixth level above the market hall and he followed her down a relatively empty corridor. It had the look of a hotel corridor; lots of doors lining both sides. There were hardly any people up here and though the corridor was as spartanly decorated as downstairs he got the impression that they were in the higher class areas. She turned yet another corner and a wide window came into view drawing John's attention, but he was quickly distracted from the view by the large muscular man at the end of the corridor.

The man had to be six and a half feet tall and he was covered in a myriad of weapons, all angled to be drawn or unsheathed as quickly as possible. He had deep dark skin with a matt black Wraith tattoo decorating one of his cheeks. As he uncrossed his massive arms John spied two more tattoos along the backs of his forearms. He was built like a bouncer, but gave the impression that his true vocation was to be Ultimate Fighting Champion, of the Universe.

"About time," he announced with feeling as he strode towards them. His dark eyes moved briefly over John before landing on Emmagan with a frown. "Where have you been?"

"In the market hall," Emmagan replied as she paused by a door set into the corridor wall directly opposite the large window.

The big man looked down at John again with a deeper frown. John kept to his two paces rule behind Emmagan, but with the other man so close it felt uncomfortable. Emmagan tapped in a code beside the door, pushed it open and walked in. John followed her quickly, moving past the frowning glare of the bouncer. Was this her boyfriend or perhaps a body guard?

The room inside was clearly that of a hotel room, but not like one anyone would find on Earth. The reasonably sized space was split into two by a half wall set opposite the entrance. On one side there was a table set in the middle of the space, with a door behind it which led to what looked like a bathroom. On the far wall there was a bank of technology two pieces of which John decided were a futuristic hob and a fridge. On the other side of the half wall there was a large bed set up on a raised platform. At the foot of the platform's steps there was another bed, though it was basically a box with a mattress in it. Kind of like what a dog would sleep in, except it was human sized. Presumably where slaves were expected to sleep. John frowned at the set up briefly, before he followed her into the living area and stood to one side, not caring about his two pace rule anymore.

"It is hardly the time to be freeing slaves, Emmagan," the bug guy stated aggressively as he shut the main door and strode in to stand opposite Emmagan where she had settled into a chair by the table. John watched her adjust her posture so that the swords on her back did not dig into her; it looked like something she did often. He felt a lot of tension drain out of him at what he had heard though; she freed slaves.

"He is from Atlantis," Emmagan stated as she inclined her head towards John.

The man's expression changed to hold a spark of interest, but it was brief. "So?" He asked, but John already had the impression that the guy had lost most of his annoyance. John had the subtle impression that the guy had been worried about Emmagan, which was interesting and a little worrying.

"We have discussed this before, Si," Emmagan replied, but there was amusement and warmth to her voice. These two were close. John wondered how close.

Si turned his body towards John, assessing him from boots to his hair. There was an extra frown as he reached John's wayward hair. John found himself staring at Si's very bald head in return.

"He doesn't look like much to me," Si stated as he looked away from John's glare to Emmagan, "and there are more important issues to address than returning lost boys to their home." Si looked back at John with a testing glare. John stared back at the guy, unwilling to back down.

"Just drop me off at the nearest Stargate and I'll be out of your hair," John looked up at Si's bare head as he said that. Si frowned with annoyance.

"He is part of their military," Emmagan stated interrupting the staring match and ignoring John's comment.

Si looked John over again and looked away distastefully. "Which tells us all we need to know then about their strength." John tightened his lips to hold back his sharp reply, as a more important point needed to be made.

He looked round at Emmagan. "Look, as grateful as I am that you got me out of that cage, I'm not going to tell you any of Atlantis' secrets. Besides they will have changed all my authorisation codes when I went MIA."

Emmagan inclined her head. "A warrior should never betray their people, but there is nothing wrong with a mutual exchange of information. Is there?" Her dark eyes sparkled in the overhead lighting and John studied her expression, seeing nothing but honesty in her gaze. But, then he didn't know her very well and maybe these people lied all the time, but it was worth a shot.

"No, there isn't. Besides we're always looking to make new friends," he replied with a smile. Okay this could be good, they didn't seem to be planning to torture information out of him and maybe he could even help start up some dialogue with the Alliance. Sumner would just love that.

"That will have to wait," Si interjected, "Iketani is here."

Emmagan's expression changed instantly. "Why would she be here?"

"My sources tell me that she has been meeting with a Genii," Si replied.

"Political?" Emmagan asked.

"It is unclear. He may simply be the latest in males who can not satisfy her."

Emmagan let out a grunt as she set her forearms on the table top. As she lent forward the front of her top gaped open slightly and John's eyes were drawn to the lines of her tattoo that he could now see swept down towards the shadow of cleavage.

"Who's Iketani?" he asked.

"A pain in most free thinking females' sides," Emmagan replied.

"She may be here to join the attack," Si said.

"Unlikely, she prefers to manipulate now than fight," Emmagan said.

"I would prefer that we call back the ship today," Si stated.

Emmagan looked up at the dark man as she pondered the situation. "I can complete my business here this afternoon and be ready to leave this evening. Will you be ready to leave?"

Si nodded. "I will contact Kanaan."

Emmagan's attention shifted to John. "The question then becomes what we do with my new slave."

"I suppose he is too valuable to simply throw away," Si replied turning back towards John with a smirk.

John stepped forward. "Just drop me off at the closest world with a Stargate."

"You mean a Circle of the Ancestors?" Si asked.

"Yes, big round thing joins up worlds via a wormhole," John replied just to push Si.

"There is a problem with that," Emmagan replied and John barely stopped himself from shouting 'I knew it!' He had known it had been a little too easy an escape.

"What kind of problem?" he asked suspiciously.

"We are nowhere close to a world with a 'Stargate' and we do not have the time or resources to redirect our ship to drop you off somewhere." Which explained her comment earlier about him not thanking her yet. "So, you have a few options to choose from," she said as she sat back in her chair, at least as much as her swords would allow.

"I have choices?" John asked with annoyed amusement.

She nodded her head. "We all have our choices."

"How about those other men in the cages back in the market hall?" John asked.

"Even they have choices, though they may be limited at present," she replied, "I however do not believe in keeping others against their will. So I will give you your choices and you can make your decision."

"Okay, what are my options?" He asked as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

"Firstly we could leave you here, but I do not advise that course. Even under my protection you would be a target, perhaps more so. You are considered by Alliance law to be a slave and so will have no choice but to remain shut away until I return. Secondly, we could leave you on an inhabited world close by. I know a few individuals there who would look after you until I return." John frowned at his choices so far. "Or your third option is that you come with us."

"Where are you going?" John asked, though he had already heard the word 'attack' so he didn't think they were off to a party.

"To war," Si replied with feeling.

John looked at the big guy and saw the sparkle in his eyes. John had seen that look in plenty of military eyes before. "You're part of the Alliance military, right?" He asked.

Si nodded with a smile. "We are part of the Elite of the military. No others surpass us." There was pleasure in his voice, but the boast had no arrogance behind it. He stepped up closer to John, right into his personal space. "Do you know how I won these?" He asked as he lifted his forearms up for John to see, the dark tattoos only a few shades darker than his skin.

John held his ground. "You killed a Wraith Queen."

"I have killed six," Si replied as he lifted one hand to his cheek and ran his fingers over the tattoo there. "With my bare hands. All of the military kill Wraith, but we are Queen Killers."

John knew this kind of routine, though it didn't stop it being any less intimidating. He looked into the man's dark eyes and saw no pride, but a raw truth there. This man had seen more than anyone's fair share.

"I've killed a Queen or two," John told him.

Si's eyes narrowed. "At the end of a distance weapon no doubt."

John couldn't stop the swallow that accompanied the memory of that one particular Wraith Queen who had almost fed on him, a year and a half ago now. "I killed one in hand to hand combat," John replied honestly. It wasn't boastful for him either, it was a dark memory that he preferred not to think about. After all it had been from him that the Wraith had learnt that Atlantis had been rediscovered and was full of a new race of humans from a new rich feeding ground across the stars. That knowledge had led to Atlantis being laid siege and had it not been for the SGC and the Daedalus no one would have survived.

Si maintained his direct eye contact, his gaze assessing and John let him look. Finally Si stepped back, his expression still closed, but there was less aggression there.

"You no doubt know that the Alliance military have been successful in forcing the Wraith out of our territory," Emmagan said from across the room. John had to blink to clear his mind of his memories of the siege and to pull his attention away from the big man who had forced them into the open once again. He turned to Emmagan focusing on her words and he nodded. "What you may not know is that over the past few months the Wraith have begun to cull the worlds on the edges of our territory."

"They resent our strength," Si added.

"So, you're heading out there to make a show of force?" John asked.

Emmagan inclined her head. "We know that one world just over the border of our territory has become a new base for one particularly powerful Hive Queen. She is using that world as a breeding factory for her forces and we plan to stop her."

"She'll see that coming though, right?" John asked.

"Which is why the main fleet have been gathering slowly, giving the Wraith time to expect them. The fleet will attack in spectacular fashion in two days time. Before that, however, we the Elite will cross the border and deal with the Queen directly."

John frowned at that. "You're going to land on a Wraith infested world and kill their Queen?"

"Yes."

John frowned at that. "How many Elite are there?"

Emmagan smiled at him, "There will be only two ships on this mission."

John looked over at Si and back to the petite woman. "I take it you have a good plan."

She smiled again. "We have our methods."

John thought about it. It was his duty to get back to Atlantis as quickly as possible, in one piece preferably, but then he was also supposed to gather information and make new allies. And killing Wraith was part of his job anyway. If he didn't join in this fight he would only be left on a world to play farmer or something for who knew how long. And if the Elite didn't kill the Queen then Emmagan may never come back for him. Like he would sit around when there was a good fight going on anyway?!

"I'll take option three then please," John replied.

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TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Part**: 7/?

It's another long run of chapters. There's a world to create piece by piece and the chapters seem to have grown to meet that demand! Enjoy!

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The shower had been really good and John felt so much better for it. His trousers still held traces of dried mud, but they were all he had, so he pulled them back on over his freshly cleaned skin. His jacket had fared worse, and it smelt like a musty mud pit, which was not surprising. He rinsed it through and hung it up to dry, hoping Emmagan wouldn't mind. His shirt had also been pretty musty and Si had leant him a plain black shirt. It was a little big and as John emerged from the bathroom Si chuckled at all the extra material. John wrapped the extra fabric tightly around his middle and tucked the bottom edges into the top of his trousers and the result was good enough.

"Next time pick a slave with a little more meat on him," Si muttered as he headed towards the door. "I will contact Kanaan and conclude my business with Saoka."

"I will meet you back here in two hours as planned," Emmagan replied and Si left with one last pointed look at John, which John interpreted as something along the lines of 'behave yourself'. The door slid shut behind the tall warrior and John was left alone with his new Mistress.

She turned and faced him, glancing over his shirt and trousers.

"Best I could do," he told her with an embarrassed shrug.

"I was thinking that we need to purchase you some clothes and any other items you require. I have business to conclude in the market hall so we will gather what you need there."

"Okay," John replied. He felt bare without a weapon to hand and he didn't have anything useful to do. Hell, he didn't even have a belt or wallet. "Atlantis with repay you for anything you spend for me and for…you know…buying me," he barely got through that without rolling his eyes.

She looked at him with a knowing look and he guessed he hadn't hidden his disgust all that well. "You will have to continue to play the role of a slave for now." John nodded his agreement.

"What is your name?" She asked and he only then realised that they hadn't even had that usual introduction.

He stepped towards her. "Major John Sheppard." He held out his hand towards her. "Pleased to meet you."

She looked down at his hand and then reached out to take it in hers. Her skin was soft, yet held the telltale harshness across her palm of someone who trained to a high level, no doubt with those swords on her back. It did not detract from her attractiveness, in fact it increased it. He had never been one to look at women among the military, preferring civilians or in one case, in the medical aspect of the military. That hadn't ended well. But, in this woman he found himself deeply attracted not only to her physically and to the intelligent sparkle in her eye, but also to the contained strength and power of her. She released his hand first and he dropped his hand back to his side.

"Which part of that do you prefer to be called by?" She asked.

"Sheppard is fine, though my friends call me John," he told her, leaving it to her to decide into which category she considered herself. She turned her face from him, but her eyes stayed on him, assessing him in turn. She picked up a cloth bag from the back of a chair and slung the long strap over one shoulder.

"Very well, Sheppard," she said and he felt a little disappointed. "Let us return to the market hall." She moved past the table and headed towards the door.

"Shouldn't I carry the bag? Being the slave and all," he offered indicating to her shoulder as they reached the door. It would make him feel more useful anyway.

She glanced down at the bag, clearly having not thought of that, then nodded and handed it over to him. He slung the long strap over his head to settle its empty weight against his hip. She opened the door and he followed her out into the corridor falling into step behind her shoulder.

They turned the corner into the long corridor of hotel doors. "Is there anything else I should know about being a slave?" He asked quietly unsure if he should even be talking to her in public.

She looked over her shoulder at him, but didn't slow her step. "Unfortunately by Alliance law you have no rights at all, other than what I deem to grant you."

"Not a fan of slavery I take it?" He asked.

"Do you have slavery among your people?" She asked with a touch of surprise.

"No, not for a long time," he replied.

She nodded, her reddish brown curls sliding across her shoulders. "Good."

"I take it your opinion isn't all that popular?"

"Slave labour is regrettably one of the only ways many worlds can repay the Alliance for their protection from the Wraith. Though, child slaves are greatly frowned upon, and if there are any they are kept with their mothers." John frowned at the thought. "My father outlawed slaves on the Athosian worlds many years ago," she added.

"Your father?" He asked with interest, moving right into the two pace distance from her, wishing he could see her face more clearly, especially as he suspected from the tilt of her head that she hadn't meant to reveal that information.

"He leads the Athosian worlds," she replied.

He considered that for a moment or two as they reached the stairwell, which held less traffic than before. "So does that make you a princess?" He asked adding a gentle touch of amusement to his tone. Images of Princess Leia came to mind.

She glanced up at him from the step below and he saw the amusement in her eyes as well. "We do not have royalty on my homeworld. Our leaders are chosen by their skills not their birth." She turned her attention to the steps before her. "Though, admittedly, my younger sister is considered to be the one who will one day take his place," she added. "But, then she grew up at my father's feet, learning the ways of leadership, so perhaps leadership by blood sometimes has its place."

"Are you two close? You and your sister," He asked wondering how far he could push for information on her and whether she would shut him down.

"Some days," she replied and he saw her cheek rise slightly so he guessed she was probably smiling.

They reached the market hall level and John found himself once again following along through the dull busy corridors of the station. They entered the market hall, but this time she led him to the furthest corner from the slave stalls. Now he knew what to look for John noticed that there were a lot of slaves following their masters and mistresses around. He could easily identify the slaves as they walked close behind shoulders, with their eyes lowered. They also wore duller clothing, perhaps to distinguish them further, as if there was any doubt in John's opinion.

Emmagan led him to the largest clothes stall and gestured him forward. "Choose what you wish. I recommend at least three changes of clothing and choose dark shades," she added with a pointed look. He nodded, when you were breaking and entering into a Wraith Queen's home you had to have the whole ninja look down. He moved quickly through the lines of clothing and picked out a couple of basic shirts, trousers and underwear, all as close to what he was used to as possible. Emmagan also nodded him towards the belts which included holsters for weapons. He wasn't entirely sure what weapons he would be allowed to carry, if any, but she didn't object when he selected a side arm holder like his stolen one attached to a belt that held enough loops to hold knives or whatever else a would-be ninja might require.

The stall owner had been watching him with glee, pointing out some other items he might be interested in, but John waved them away. He only needed the basics. Emmagan handed over a pad to the stall owner. John noticed the guy looked a little nervous, but was exceedingly polite when he spoke to her. The payment went through quickly enough and then they were on to the next stall. There he selected a bag for all the clothes to go into and then they turned to the next stall which held various toiletry items. He looked up at the stall owner, wondering if he was allowed to ask what everything was, but the woman seemed to read his mind and immediately began pointing things out to him. He ignored most of the seller's patter and chose a soap-like bar that worked like deodorant and smelt quite nice. Then a basic bottle of shampoo, a razor, a toothbrush and paste. Everything went into a small toiletry bag, which after payment he added to the rest of his new things.

Emmagan peered into the bag and judging that they had everything she moved on. He followed along behind her, noticing how the crowd parted before her. Across the wide hall in the furthest corner from them he saw the slave stall owner. He pondered for a moment on whether there was any chance of him persuading Emmagan to buy some more slaves to set them free, but he guessed she had already spent a lot and didn't have the time. When a break in the crowd opened up as they moved closer he saw that most of the cages were empty now, and he hoped they had all found someone reasonably friendly as their 'owners'.

Emmagan finally stopped before a stall set into a corner of the hall, its tables full to bursting with everything John could imagine; weapons, vials of what was presumably medicine, stacks of books, packets of what could be dried food, small pieces of furniture and at the furthest end beside the table sat a large creature that looked like a cross between a dog and a bear. John wondered if it was for sale or if it was guarding the stall. Other customers drifted away quickly as Emmagan neared the stalls. The owner noticed Emmagan and practically jumped over some boxes to reach her. He reached over the full table and as she extended a hand to him he clasped it between his.

"Mistress Emmagan, I am so pleased to see you well, and so soon before your great victory to come," the man said and in anyone else John would have thought the words to be high class grovelling, but this guy seemed to honestly mean what he was saying. Emmagan in return squeezed his hand and moved around the end of the table.

"As I have said before you do not need to address me this way, Uncle," she told him with a gentle tone. John followed her around the side of the stall tables to the space behind, though what space there was mostly filled with boxes of other goods.

"I speak as I see it, Mistress."

Emmagan walked over to the bear dog thing, which lifted its head towards her with an expression of recognition and when she stroked over its head it made a loud purring sound. Maybe there was some cat in there as well. She turned back to her uncle, who John realised was looking at him with a curious expression.

"I would ask what you are here to purchase, but I see that you have already bought something interesting," the man said with a smile at his niece. John tried not to feel slighted again.

Emmagan kept her eyes on her uncle. "Elkaska, you known well enough that my views agree with my father's on the subject of keeping slaves."

"As I recall your opinion held great weight when he passed those laws," Elkaska replied as he moved to a small stove and lifted a large pot of what had to be tea. Emmagan inclined her head and he poured out three small cups of the brew and once she had taken one Elkaska passed the next to John. John thanked him as he took the small cup and he sniffed gently at the herby scent that drifted up to his nose. "It cools the blood for a clear head for war," Elkaska told him with a smile.

John looked around at the stall around them. "Or for the demanding work of a trader?" John asked, using the term he had heard Emmagan use at the other stalls.

Elkaska smiled and nodded. "There are many forms of war," he replied as he turned back to Emmagan. She had perched herself against the back of a table and the bear/dog/cat had settled down against her leg, its purring a steady gentle sound around them.

"Indeed there are, some of which were not expected here in the station," Emmagan said.

Elkaska nodded as he settled down into a rickety looking chair. John studied the man; he looked like he was between fifty or sixty years, but he moved with a stiffness to his joints that meant either that he was older than he appeared, or that he had had an interesting life. John suspected it was the later.

"Some surprises should be expected," Elkaska said, which sounded very much like a rebuke to John, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I have heard talk of secret meetings."

"I would not know the bed habits of those who frequent my stalls," the man looked up briefly at John before he looked back at his niece. "However, I do notice those that pass by this way and on the other stations and worlds on which I trade."

"Secret agreements are less likely to be made at market stalls and more likely in hidden enclosed secrecy," Emmagan added.

Elkaska nodded and John decided that there was an entirely different conversation going on between these two than simply what they were saying out loud.

"I would not know about those," Elkaska added, though he was still nodding his head as he lifted his teacup to his lips.

"I wonder then if such ways of dealing are dangerous," Emmagan said with a careful tone suggesting it was perhaps a hidden question.

"I agree," the man replied as he placed his empty cup down. There was a long pause through which John looked from one of them to the other. "Your sister should be left to her own choices," Elkaska added as if the pause had never happened and he was only now voicing exactly what it was they had been talking about. John suspected that was just a front. Whatever the subtext conversation they had been having was over and it appeared family matters were now on the agenda.

Emmagan moved towards the teapot and poured some more tea into her uncle's cup and then into her own. She didn't offer John anymore, but then he hadn't drunk all of his first offering, only sipping at the strangely sweet brew a little at a time.

Emmagan returned to her place by Elkaska's pet, which began purring again as she rested her legs against its huge side. "Rhakshar would not be my first choice."

Elkaska chuckled. "No, he would not, but he has great power and reach across the Alliance."

"Yes, that he does and I feel he includes my sister and our worlds among that which he wishes to influence," Emmagan added with a tone that John had heard far too often from his own family members; disapproval.

"Your sister knows how to handle herself and I have no doubt that Torren would not allow control to slip once he decides to retire from his role as the great leader of our people that he is." John wondered if Elkaska was Emmagan's father's brother or her mother's. John studied the man's golden face comparing his features to Emmagan's and decided that he could see the family resemblance.

Emmagan drank down the last of her tea in one go. "I ask that you wish my sister and father well when you next see them," she said as she set her teacup down, which meant that John could put his down as well and stop pretending he was actually going to drink it all.

"As I always do," the older man said as he stood. "I also have gifts for you, which I have already sent along with Si when he visited earlier."

Emmagan nodded as she reached down to stroke the pet's head again before she stepped away and for a moment the creature looked like it was going to follow her, but held back. "Thank you, my Uncle." She stepped up close to Elkaska and settled her hands on his shoulders as he did to her and they leant their foreheads against each other.

"I wish you well and great success on your victory," Elkaska said softly before he lifted his forehead from hers. There was a lot of affection in the man's eyes and he squeezed her shoulders before he dropped his arms to his sides. John could see the subtle tells of the man's concern. He spoke of her victory as if it was guaranteed, but of course it couldn't be and John saw the painful knowledge of that in the man's eyes. Emmagan touched her uncle's arm once more before she moved past John around the stall tables and back into the market proper. John held back a beat and nodded at Elkaska, who met his gaze directly and smiled as he nodded in return.

As John followed Emmagan away from the stall she did not look back, but her shoulders were held higher with more tension than before. She stopped at several other stalls after that, purchasing small pieces of technology and other things that John didn't get a good look at from behind her shoulder. Whilst she stood with her back partly turned to the crowd John stood closer, his attention on those around them, and realised he was protecting her six as he would someone in his team or in Atlantis. Well, she was giving him his ticket off this station so he could only help out in return. But, he was aware that there was a more personal edge to his guarding than if he had been watching over Rodney or Ford. She had shown him respect and had allowed him to be included in a family discussion, even if she probably had to as he was her slave.

Her shopping completed, all of which she had added to her bag which John carried, they headed out of the market hall. The number of people in the corridors had reduced now, as the afternoon had presumably become evening, though John had no idea how long a day was in this place. His body told him it was getting close to dinner time, but that was all he knew as his watch had been taken from him by the slave traders.

He wondered whether people ate three meals a day in the Alliance, as he followed Emmagan back to the staircase again, but before she reached it a voice called out to her from behind them.

"Emmagan," the sing song female voice called. John watched Emmagan halt abruptly and saw the clenching of her jaw as she turned. John wasn't sure on the etiquette for a slave who suddenly found himself facing his Mistress, so he stepped aside and moved around to her back as she moved forward to meet the woman now walking towards them.

"Iketani," Emmagan greeted politely, "I had heard that you were on the station."

"I am sure that you did," Iketani replied as she reached them.

Iketani was a stunningly beautiful woman, the kind of model you saw in movies or on the front of those airbrushed women's fashion magazines. Her complexion was pale gold and perfect, her long pale hair hung from the back of her head in long tendrils, contained only by wide loose bands spaced down the length. She moved with a grace that would have been seductive if it didn't remind John so much of how a snake might walk if it could. She moved as men thought sexy women should, but in the real light of the station's lighting it looked overt and creepy. Or maybe it was just her.

She had large deep blue eyes that held a sharp calculating intelligence and as she stood before Emmagan, John saw the gentle lines of musculature of her exposed arms and shoulders. She might look like a model, but she knew how to fight. The strange looking sword at her belt backed up that theory. It had a slight curve to its long blade, with an extra shorter blade angled out from its hilt, creating something that John suspected a Klingon would have loved.

Her eyes shifted from Emmagan and settled on him. He realised he was looking directly at her which wasn't allowed, but from the sultry smile that transformed her face, creating an even more desirable picture, he guessed she liked his attention. She was probably used to men looking at her.

"I see that you bought this fine specimen before I could summon the funds," Iketani purred, her gaze sweeping down his body with a predatory edge. John decided that, though she might look gorgeous, he didn't like her.

"I am sure you were simply waiting for his price to raise enough for your interest," Emmagan replied, her voice polite but had a sharp edge to it.

"Perhaps. I do like things to rise before I take interest," Iketani replied as her eyes met John's again. He kept his expression blank, but he wasn't sure that he hid the slight flush to his skin at her implication and the offer in her gaze. She smiled with her wide pink lips and looked back to Emmagan. "I was surprised to hear that you took an interest, since you rarely seem to require what others enjoy." Her gaze returned to John. "I would willingly buy him from you, when you have tired of him," she added.

"I find that what I own tends to remain loyal," Emmagan replied with a tone that John couldn't quite identify, but it caught Iketani's attention. She lost her sultry smile as she glared at Emmagan. The two of them held a brief staring match and John had to wonder at the background between the two. Clearly there was a lot of history here.

Iketani looked away first, her attitude slipping into disinterest. "Unfortunately, loyalty is something that cannot be bought."

"True," Emmagan replied.

"But, I find that there is enough that I can buy to keep me satisfied."

"Unlikely," Emmagan responded surprising John.

Iketani laughed at that, the sexy sound bouncing off the corridor walls around them. "I have heard the same of you, Emmagan."

"Are you joining us in the fleet?" Emmagan asked abruptly.

Iketani made a show of sighing regretfully before another false smile turned to her beautiful face. "Unfortunately I am needed back on my home world, or I would have been there with you and our number."

"Of course," Emmagan replied, but it was clear that she saw right through that excuse. "I had heard rumours about your health." Iketani looked thrown for a moment, her smile disappearing in an instant and her eyes locked with Emmagan's.

"My health is very well," she stated.

Emmagan nodded. "Then it must have been another who I had heard visited the unspoken clinic back on Pravis."

A red shade crept up Iketani's pale cheeks. "Yes, another."

"It was pleasing to see you then, Iketani. I wish you well back on your home world," Emmagan said formally as she bowed slightly, but John could tell she kept her eyes on Iketani, as did the other woman as she returned the gesture.

"And to you, Emmagan. I wish you a great victory." Her eyes moved to John again. "And remember my offer on taking from your hands what you will tire of." She moved forward with a quickness John had last seen only in Emmagan, and her toned body brushed against his side as she pushed past. John held his ground not stepping away. Let her think he liked it.

As she left he realised there had been a slave of her own standing behind her. The man was dressed in leathers which were tight and open at his chest. Two bright nipple rings caught the light and as he passed by John saw that there was no back to the leather trousers the man wore. John had the flashing image of Iketani in a Dominatrix outfit and quickly turned away from the view with a wince, thanking God that she hadn't decided to buy him.

Emmagan gave him a look that said that she knew what he had been thinking and then she was off, back on their route up the staircase. John took one last look at the slave's pale butt cheeks disappearing around the corner of the corridor and shuddered as he hurried up the stairs to catch up.

-----  
TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Part**: 8/?

Note: Okay coming up with alien names HAS to be the hardest thing to do!! Forgive my lack of imagination, but I've tried to keep it varied!

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The ship settled against the docking arm of the station as smoothly as a shark sliding home. John peered out through the tiny window set along the hallway which would lead him, Emmagan and Si to the ship. The window was too small for John to see much detail, but he liked what he saw. He wondered idly if he should be calling the window a porthole.

He heard the hissing sound of the pressure changing on the other side of the airlock and Si moved towards the thick solid door that would be their exit from the station. From Si's body language John thought there would be a few minutes yet till they would be leaving, so he peered back out of the window, porthole.

The ship had a sleek metallic hull, seeming smooth and predator like, which wasn't all that surprising John thought. He looked at Emmagan standing a pace or two ahead of him.

"Is this an Alliance military ship?" He asked. Atlantis knew nothing of the united military's ships, strengths or numbers.

She angled her head round to look at him. "It belongs to the Elite." Her eyes shifted to the porthole and he saw a sparkle in her gaze. "She is an excellent vessel." John nodded as he enjoyed the pleasurable look on Emmagan's face. Her gaze shifted to him and he gave her a small smile. He thought she was going to roll her eyes at him again, but she looked away again.

"You should be aware that there will be slaves onboard the ship," she said as she watched Si at the airlock.

"I thought you said you didn't believe in keeping slaves," John pointed out.

"I do not own the ship. There will be at least ten of the Elite on board and several of them keep slaves." She kept her attention forward.

"So I'm expected to play slave for longer?" He asked a little annoyed now.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "It is important that you remain respectful at all times." She said before turned away again. "Especially around the Elite warriors." Si chuckled gruffly at that.

"Should I be worried?" John asked.

From the shift of her cheek he guessed she was smiling again. "The Elite are, as a rule, forceful people. It will be best for you to avoid any direct contact without myself or Si present."

John looked from her to Si and back. "How will I know who is part of the Elite? The tattoos?"

"That is one way, but be aware that many warriors hide some of their markings under their clothing." John lowered his gaze over her throat and suspected she would be one of those. He wondered how many she had. She looked round at him and he jerked his head up to meet her gaze. "You will not find it difficult to identify us." There was a lot of amusement in her voice. But, then looking at just these two Elite warriors John guessed that they would always stand out in a crowd.

"Who makes it to the Elite then? Do you work your way up through the military?" He asked. It might be frowned on to be asking so many questions as a slave, but he wasn't and he didn't like the sparkle in the two's eyes that suggested John was in for a difficult time ahead.

Si triggered a control on the airlock and the door slid back. The big man stepped through the airlock door disappearing from view.

"Some Elite do arrive among our number by distinguishing themselves in battle, but most are selected from childhood," Emmagan informed him as she led him through the airlock door and into an empty corridor beyond.

"Really?"

She nodded as she followed Si, her pace brisk, but measured. "You will find that most Elite have…unique gifts that would have distinguished them out from an early age."

John looked at Si's massive broad solid shoulders ahead of them. "I guess size is considered a gift to the Elite?"

She let out an amused breath. "No, Elite warriors come in all shapes and sizes," she replied and he liked that she had gotten his joke. "Most Elite have gifts that enable them to be powerful warriors. You should be aware yourself how genetic makeup is important, considering yours is partly from the Ancestors."

John almost paused in his step. "You know about the Ancient gene?"

"Yes. The Alliance has many who have the 'gene' and we use a wide selection of Ancestor technology throughout the military. Yours is of a stronger rating than I have seen before among any the many worlds under the Alliance."

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"It was part of your papers. They would have scanned you when you first arrived on the station."

John frowned. He felt a little weird about people just 'reading' his genes whenever they felt like it. "Is that another reason why you 'bought' me?" He asked suspiciously.

She looked over her shoulder at him with a light smile. "No, but it is one of the reasons your price was so high. That you informed so many that you were from Atlantis did the rest."

"And there I was thinking it was my good looks," he replied with a cheeky smile just to play a little bit.

To his pleasure she smiled at his joke before she looked away. "I am sure they also played a role." He grinned at her turned shoulder.

Si had reached the far airlock door and frowned back at John. Okay, maybe flirting with Emmagan wasn't the smartest thing to do when he didn't know what Si was to her. Maybe she was married and had lots of pretty little kids running around on her home world.

Si pressed a large button, a light flashed beside it and the airlock snapped open. Beyond the pale grey station's airlock was pressed up against a dark doorway, which Si stepped though. John followed Emmagan, stepping through the hatchway and into the ship's airlock. Already everything felt different and as the inner door to the ship's airlock opened John saw that the dark hallway beyond clearly fell into the category of 'functional'.

He followed the warriors down the corridor of their ship past doorways with symbols engraved above them. As they passed one door that was open John peered in to see a large piece of technology, that could have been part of an engine, took up most of the space inside. Two people, smeared with oil and possibly something rather more organic, looked up with interest, but he was past before anything could be said. The corridor turned abruptly to join up with another that stretched far out in front, presumably circling along the full length of the ship. He noticed that every couple of metres there were glass panels set into the walls about chest height, and he looked into one as he passed to saw the cables, wires and pipes that ran along behind the corridor panelling. Everything looked organised, but it all reminded John of several prototype planes he had been in before. His eyes rose up to the ceiling to see that all the panels had latches suggesting access to whatever ran above their heads.

The corridor finally reached a doorway to the right and he followed Emmagan into what was clearly the bridge. It was oval shaped, the front portion of which was dedicated to what John's expert eyes identified as pilot stations. The two seats stood apart, surrounded by wide semi circular waist height consoles. Beyond them a wide porthole revealed a view of the station and the surrounding stars filled the rest. On both sides of the porthole there were large displays, on which he could pick out scans of the station and several other ships. Behind the pilots there ran a semi circular low dividing wall against which two men were currently leaning. Their eyes latched onto him and John knew Emmagan had been right; it was easy to identify Elite warriors.

The one on the left had starkly pale skin, with a Wraith tattoo decorating down the entire right side of his face, which both concealed and highlighted the massive scar that had narrowly missed his right eye. The eye and its companion drifted over John and then left him. The other warrior appeared more interested. The man was as tall as Si, but his form was in the 'lanky' build category. His hair was brown and hung in long tails down around his shoulders. He had only one tattoo that John could see and it was just visible from his jacket sleeve, its lines streaking down towards his knuckles. The man inclined his head politely and looked away.

Emmagan had moved away and John made his way around the edge of space to where she stood against a table set in the centre of the space. As he moved closer he realised the table had display screens set into its surface.

"Elkaska's gifts have been stowed on board," a voice from the back of the bridge reported.

Si chuckled. "I looked it all over earlier and Elkaska has outdone himself this time."

Emmagan smiled as she studied the display in front of her. John couldn't see much of it, other than it was divided up into smaller screens with various displays filled with running data and moving symbols, which was probably their language.

"Elkaska knows the importance of this mission," she replied.

The taller polite warrior with the long hair moved forward. "I think rather that he considers the strength of the Queen the governing factor in how powerful his 'gifts' are."

Emmagan looked up and smiled wider. "No doubt we will see how powerful they are."

The man rested against the other side of the display. "I understand that Iketani is here."

"Yes, she approached me off the market hall," Emmagan replied.

"Did she try to seduce you again?" The scar faced man asked with an amused sneer.

John barely contained his shocked expression, but had less success in stopping the images that his imagination began to formulate in his mind.

"She had more interest in trying to seduce my new slave away from me," Emmagan replied as she angled her head towards John behind her.

The men all glanced at him.

"This is an odd time to free a slave," the polite man commented.

"But, the perfect time for her to enjoy one," the other man added.

"He is from Atlantis," Emmagan informed them and all eyes turned back to John, including one of the pilots at the front of the bridge.

John held up one hand in a vague wave to all the eyes in general. "Major John Sheppard," he introduced himself.

"Still, now is not perhaps the best time to be seeking information on them," the polite man suggested to Emmagan.

She looked up at the man. "He required my assistance, Halling."

"Then we should leave him on another world. For his protection," Halling replied.

"He has chosen to join us in this mission," she replied.

"He has, has he?" Scarface asked, his voice dripping with distain. "He could be a spy."

"For whom?" Halling asked as he turned partly towards Scarface.

"Iketani may have planted him, or the High Council. Or maybe Atlantis wants to know of us."

"It is unlikely they would choose this method," Emmagan replied.

"It is a possibility," Scarface argued back. "He should not be here."

Emmagan turned towards him. "And the three slaves you brought on board at the Vancet central world? Did you ensure that they are not spies as well?"

"They are slaves," Scarface replied, as if the possibility that a slave could do anything so skilful was impossible.

"And he is mine," Emmagan replied as she turned Halling. "We should depart from the station."

Halling nodded and looked over at Si, who also nodded his agreement. As far as John had seen so far none of these four warriors were in charge. He wondered who was.

"Uncouple and take us away from the station," Emmagan called out towards the pilots.

"Yes, Mistress," one pilot replied as he leant forward and began tapping away at his console.

"Have we heard the latest from the fleet?" Si asked.

"They are almost at full capacity, at least the capacity the High Council have allowed," Halling replied. John studied the man's face in the up light of the display table. There was something immediately likable about him, but the series of knives all lined up around his waist told John that he was not a man to be underestimated.

"And the Hastros?" Emmagan asked.

"They are in hyperspace and will join us at the designated coordinates in one day," Halling replied.

"Is Iketani's lover still on board the Hastros?" Si asked.

"Ex-lover," Halling began, "and yes, he is. Mera assures us that he is trustworthy."

"He should be killed," Scarface commented from his slouched position.

"That is your answer to every problem," Halling said with the first burst of aggression John had seen from him.

"It has worked up to now," Scarface replied as he stepped forward, his arms dropping to his sides and John watched his fists clench up. "As I remember it was me who saved your backside back on Pravis."

Halling turned towards him, his face grim. Everything went quiet throughout the bridge, all eyes, or ears in the case of the pilots, focused on the two men. A blip from the front of the bridge broke the silence.

"We are ready to depart," a pilot called out, his voice betraying no reaction to the aggression only a metre or so behind his back. Maybe they were used to such behaviour.

"Take us away from the station and into hyperspace," Emmagan called out before she turned back to the staring men. "I suggest you take this to the training room."

Halling moved back a step and nodded slightly, but his eyes never left Scarface's. "Indeed."

"I will see you at late meal," she added, her attention shifting to Si, who nodded. John thought he saw a look pass between them that suggested both would be keeping an eye on the two men. She stepped away from the display table and John followed her through to the back of the bridge, where a hatch slid open to a corridor beyond. As he left the bridge John looked back at the three large men filling up the central area of the bridge to see that the aggression was still lingering in the air.

The corridor beyond was carpeted which was a surprise and the makeshift vibe of the other corridor had gone, leaving a quieter yet smaller space.

"What was that about?" John asked.

"They fought over a female many cycles ago," Emmagan replied. "She was killed by a Wraith before she had made her selection."

John nodded at that, understanding a little more of what he had seen. "Is it a good idea for them to be working together?" He asked. Back on Earth two people with such a big emotional issue between them would never be allowed to work in the same team.

Emmagan glanced over her shoulder at him. "They are good friends," she replied with surprise in her tone.

"Really?"

"They have been so since childhood. They would never allow anything to hurt the other. Only they have that power over each other."

'Okay' John mouthed silently to himself.

They entered a large room, filled with at least twenty people, all sat at long tables eating from simple metal dishes. Most nodded at Emmagan with clear familiarity and there were a few smiles with the nods. All eyes moved off her onto him as she led him straight across the room. John's stomach grumbled at the sight of food, but he kept up with her looking out over the mixture of people all eating together. There were equal numbers of men and women, but they all had the look of shift workers, all hurriedly downing their food before they had to get back to work. John knew immediately that there wasn't an Elite member among them.

One man jumped up from his seat and headed towards them as they passed through the canteen. Emmagan looked round at the man, but did not slow her step; clearly she was planning not to stop to eat just yet.

"You have returned," the man said, which was pretty obvious in John's opinion. The guy fell into step beside her, all his attention on her. "How was Elkaska?"

"He is very well," Emmagan replied with warmth to her voice.

"Did you get to speak to him for long?"

"Not long, but long enough for him to confirm the news on Rhakshar."

The man nodded and finally his attention shifted to John walking behind them. His expression was of distaste and suspicion. "And who is this?"

"He is a purchase from the station," Emmagan replied with a smile as she glanced back at John.

"Hey," John greeted the man, but he was already turning away.

"It is not like you to keep purchases."

They reached the far door of the canteen and the man paused for Emmagan to pass through first.

"He is from Atlantis," Emmagan replied and John decided he had had enough of being described only that way.

The man glanced back, his gaze passing over John and away again. "And he is accompanying us why?"

Emmagan looked round at the man with an expression that suggested she was not pleased. The guy seemed to pull back at that.

"Not that it is my place to question any choices of the Elite," he added submissively.

Emmagan pushed through another door to the left and paused at the start of yet another corridor. "How are the supply situations?"

The man looked thrown and lowered his head briefly. John held back and watched the guy push aside his clear disappointment at the change of subject. "We have everything that we need. Elkaska's supplies were the last ingredient for the mission."

"Good. Have your full report ready for the meeting this evening," Emmagan replied.

The man nodded. "Of course," he drew a breath and moved a faction closer to her, "I did not mean to question you."

She smiled slightly, but it looked a little strained to John's eyes. "I know that, Kanaan. I will see you later at the meeting." Kanaan smiled at her and bowed slightly before Emmagan moved off down the corridor. John moved past Kanaan and followed her, feeling the guy's eyes on his back.

Emmagan paused before a closed door and pressed a control. The door slid open and a small enclosed space was revealed, out of which stepped a tall strongly built woman. Two tattoos encircled the edges of her shoulders, visible through two holes cut into the form fitting cat suit she wore. She smiled at Emmagan inclining her head as she moved past them. A man followed along behind her, his eyes cast downwards. A slave. He was dressed smarter than the other slaves on the station had been, but the attitude was the same.

Emmagan cleared her throat drawing his attention forward again and he saw that she was waiting for him in the enclosed space. He stepped forward into what he hoped was a lift and the door slid shut. The space had the lingering scent of sweat and oil to it, but standing closer to Emmagan than before he could smell a gentle flowery scent around her.

A vague pressure pressed against his ears as the compartment moved and for a moment it felt like they were moving sideways as well as upwards. It eased abruptly and the door slid open. He had expected a corridor again, but instead there was a room at the opposite side of which stood an open door through which John could see plants.

Emmagan moved ahead, nodding to a man sat with his feet up on a table outside the door. They stepped through the open doorway and suddenly John was in a jungle scene. Head high tropical looking trees lined the side of the path which she led him down. Through the green trunks John could see smaller shrubs and patches of what looked like flowers.

"Is this for oxygen production?" He asked Emmagan as she took the right path at a fork. To the left the trees fell away and John saw how big the space was. It had to be the width of the ship and to one side he could see tall lines of something close to corn swaying in a gentle breeze. He looked up at the white ceiling high above them. Vents and fans were spread across it, with glowing panels of natural light emitters between them.

"Yes, as well as for by-product elimination and food supplies." She paused by a set of especially tall trees and made a clicking sound through her back teeth. The vegetation moved to her right and something sprung out onto a post. John twitched back from it in surprise, but the creature's attention was fully focused on Emmagan. It looked like a lizard, but its skin was as smooth, silver and shiny as metal. It had four legs and a long tail like any lizard would, but its head was what made it look like some sort of mythical dragon. It had a pointed intelligent looking face with wide large nostrils set at the end of a stubby nose. Behind its upright pointed ears there was a wide collar of spikes that lay down against its long neck. As the creature shook its body with what looked like pleasure, the spikes created a sound rather like a rain stick. Emmagan extended her arm towards it and the creature quickly climbed up her arm, reaching her shoulder.

"What is that?" John asked as he watched the lizard settle itself against Emmagan's arm with clear joy. Its six fingered feet clutched gently around Emmagan's shoulder and upper arm, which was a good thing since the claws it sported had to be half an inch long.

"Her name is Ketra and she comes from an Athosian world," Emmagan told him as she turned back the way they had come. "They are used for hunting."

"To hunt what?" John asked as he watched the lizard rub her chin against Emmagan's shoulder. He estimated the lizard to be about two feet long and he couldn't imagine anything more than a rabbit or small rodents being the target of Ketra.

"Wraith," Emmagan replied with a smile in her voice.

"Wraith?" John asked in disbelief. "What do they do to Wraith? Snuggle them to death?"

Emmagan looked over her shoulder at him, brushing her jaw against Ketra as she did, which Ketra seemed to particularly enjoy. "They kill Wraith."

John looked at the creature with slightly more respect, but it still sounded like she was pulling his leg. "Does it have like a poisonous bite or something?"

"No, it is the power of the bite and the ferociousness of the attack that kills Wraith." She reached up with her free hand and stroked her hand along Ketra's back, down and off her tail. The silver metallic shine of Ketra's skin had become brighter silver, almost glowing under Emmagan's hand. "They have a natural immunity to Wraith feeding and they are able to sense a Wraith's presence. But, do not concern yourself, she is very friendly and she is still very young. When she reaches maturity she will be of a similar size to Elkaska's pet."

"That's a big lizard," John muttered as they left the green airy room and back into the lift. "Is it your personal pet?"

"Yes, she was a gift from Kanaan," Emmagan replied as she stroked absently down Ketra's body.

John looked up from the lizard with sudden interest. Maybe Kanaan was her boyfriend then. That would probably explain the grovelling on Kanaan's part back in the corridor a few minutes ago.

"Are you and Kanaan close?" John asked, pushing the boundaries of their strange little relationship.

"We have known each other a long time," she replied as the door opened and she stepped out onto a new floor.

John wasn't sure if she just wanted to keep her personal life private, or if that was simply the truth of the matter. She stepped out into the corridor ahead and as she did John noticed that Ketra had turned her attention towards him, her orange eyes fixed on him. The spikes on her neck rose slightly and the shade of her skin had turned a dull matt silver. Her little mouth opened with a soft breath that could have been a hiss and John got a good look at the teeth that could be used to kill a Wraith.

"Ketra, be friendly," Emmagan said down to Ketra sternly. "She usually likes people." Ketra dipped her head towards Emmagan, but once they were moving down the corridor again the lizard turned its attention back to John. John didn't know if lizards had expressions usually, but this one's eyes narrowed at him in what could only be described as a glare.

They reached a door on the right and Emmagan stepped inside. As John followed her it became clear to him that they had reached her quarters. They were large, very large. Immediately ahead there was a table on top of which sat a bowl of bright flowers. Emmagan lifted Ketra from her shoulder and set the lizard down on the table top, despite the creatures little grumbling noises of protest. Emmagan then turned away moving through the space, past two large sofa like chairs which were set around another low table. Banks of screens were set into the walls close by and by the last sofa there was a tall wooden box, set with different levels and bedding inside; Ketra's home presumably. A small brightly coloured fluffy toy sat on the top. Ketra however remained on the table and John looked round to find the creature's orange eyes were locked onto him and the teeth were showing again. John edged away from the table, wondering how far the lizard could jump.

"Umm, Ketra's species, do they attack people?" John called out as he moved further away.

"Not, usually," Emmagan replied.

John turned away from the table and its grumpy occupant once he felt he was far enough away to be safe. The area beyond the sofas was partly divided off by a long dark red curtain that hung from the ceiling. Beyond stood Emmagan's large comfortably plush bed. As with the bed in the station's room, this one was set up on a slightly raised platform, but this time there was no box nearby for a slave to sleep in. There were two thick rugs across the floor and a long bench set before a mirror opposite the bed. In the furthest wall another door was partially obscured by a deep blue curtain behind which was the bathroom.

Emmagan stepped out of it and turned to several doors set in the wall beside the mirror. "You may store your things in one of these."

John looked at the white fronted doors and then back to her. "So, I'll be sleeping in here?" He asked carefully.

She reached over her shoulders in one abrupt move, grasping the hilts of both her swords and unsheathed them in one frightening motion. There had been barely any sound and the blades swung down in two wide arcs, the light shining off them. John flashed back to when he had been lying on that Wraith table and he had watched those swords passing over him, decapitating Wraith with absolutely no resistance.

She stepped forward and turned, lying the two bare blades down on the bench. John realised that he had been holding his breath, fearful as if she had been about to attack him. Following her around for the past day he had forgotten about the speed of her, of the warrior that he had seen kill Wraith so fast he had barely seen the strikes. He let out his breath now and wondered if she had been making a point.

"As far as most on this vessel are concerned you are my slave and therefore my property. I keep all my things in this room," she replied. She unclipped something at her waist and then rolled her shoulders, drawing her scabbards off her back. John noticed there were a series of holes in the back of her coat and clearly it had been designed to have the scabbards to be worn over it. She set one scabbard down and picked up one sword. "You may sleep in one of the engine compartments if you wish, but I would not suggest it. You would be considered available to any who wished your companionship." John watched her slide one sword home and set it down before she reached for the other scabbard. She lifted its partner sword preparing to slide that blade home and looked up at him. "I will have a sleeping box brought in here for you."

"Do I get a toy to play with like Ketra has?" John asked with more than a touch of bitterness in his voice.

Emmagan slid the sword deeply into the scabbard with a rush of movement and she looked up at him with a sternness that he hadn't seen in her before. She studied him for a long moment before she leant forward and set the sword down next to its partner.

"How did you end up in that cage?" She asked him.

John couldn't tell her that he had fallen down a hole, but he wasn't inclined to just lie to her. Besides, from the assessing edge to her frown, he was wondering if she was considering Scarface's theory that John was a spy.

"There was a planet near the edge of Alliance territory. We knew that there was a Hive ship about to arrive nearby and we went to warn and help evacuate the people. They didn't believe that the Wraith would attack them, but once the attack began they soon changed their minds. We got some of them out, but the rest ran into the forest. I got trapped with them, cut off from the Stargate and the rest of my people. The slave traders found me in the forest and I ended up on that station."

"Did the local people believe the Wraith would not attack because of the Alliance border so close by?" She asked as she moved towards him and then past him, moving into the sitting area. Her stern assessment appeared to have passed, so he turned and followed her. She reached the sofas and reached out towards him, her eyes falling to her bag he had been carrying. He pulled it from his shoulders and handed it to her.

"They thought the Wraith wouldn't risk it."

"Then it is most likely that it was the people from that planet who handed you over to the slave traders. As I said before many worlds choose to sell people into Alliance slavery as a means to gain funds to enter under Alliance protection." She set her bag on the low table and sat down on the closest sofa.

Ketra jumped from the other table, sailing the good metre and a half to the back of the opposite sofa. John re-estimated the distance he would have to keep from the creature as he watched it move quickly over that sofa, across the low table and then onto the other sofa beside Emmagan. The creature moved almost silently, its four legs moving quickly and precisely. John moved over to the free sofa, set his own bag down and sat into the soft comfortable seat.

"Describe the planet," Emmagan requested as she pulled out various items from her bag, setting them on the table. John watched her, studying the strange pieces of technology as she set them down.

"Your basic village near the Gate; thatched roofs, lots of kids and animals around. The village was set on what looked like an old floodplain, with a huge forest set around three sides of it."

She looked up from a small figurine she had pulled out of the bag. "Was the forest set up on higher ground, with a break through it on the left side from the Gate?"

John thought about it. "Sounds about right."

She nodded as she set the figurine aside. "I believe I know that world. They trade occasionally with the planets over the border." She reached into the bag and pulled out the last few smaller items. "As I recall they have a basic, yet effective, way of capturing people to trade as slaves." She looked up from what looked like a bulky pen and he saw the amusement in her eyes; she knew about the trap.

"Really?" John asked keeping his expression as controlled as possible.

She studied his face for a long moment, her lips pressed together to prevent herself from smiling too much. "There was a lot of mud on your clothes as I recall."

John pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "It was a muddy village." He turned his attention from her to Ketra, who had sneaked its body partly onto one of Emmagan's legs. The small dragon face was directed towards him with what John felt was a mocking look.

Emmagan chuckled to herself as she returned her attention to putting aside the now empty bag and she began to go through her purchases. "Tell me, will your people look for you for long?"

He settled back against the soft back of the sofa and realised how tired he was. "They will do the best they can, but now I'm off world there isn't any way for them to find me."

"And with your locator implant deactivated…" she said idly as she carefully arranged a necklace back into its box. John didn't bother to ask how she knew about the implant, as it no doubt had been part of his 'papers'. "Will you be replaced quickly?" She asked.

John frowned at her from his relaxed position opposite her across the table. A wave of sleepiness swept over him; when had he last slept? "There are plenty of personnel in Atlantis," he replied as he ran one hand over his face.

"How important are you within your military?" She asked as she picked up what looked like a small broken motor.

"Not very," he replied.

"Is it true that your people had not heard of the Wraith until you discovered Atlantis?"

"We're from another galaxy and there aren't any Wraith there."

She set the possible motor down and stood up from the sofa, dislodging Ketra as she did. "I grew up with the threat of the Wraith ever present," she said as she moved across the living area towards a cupboard set into one wall. She reached inside and pulled out what was probably a tool box and picked through several tools. "The Alliance only reached its current strength in my lifetime." She found what she was looking for and moved back towards the sofa.

"One thing we couldn't work out about the Alliance is how come you guys managed to advance technologically when the Wraith usually don't allow it."

She set down her tool, which looked like a screwdriver, and pulled off her coat before she sat down again. John forgot his question as he took in her curvaceous form wrapped in fabric. Her trousers hugged her hips and thighs, all of which were toned and desperately asking to be stroked. Her waist was slim and the sides of her top were high cut, revealing part of her middle. As she sat down he noticed the dark tones of tattoos running across one of her sides in line down towards one hip.

"The Wraith have always attempted to keep down those who advance, working to cull and destroy all that threatens them," she was saying and John pulled his attention back into the conversation. As she leant forward slightly, the screwdriver in one hand the lump of technology in the other, and he found himself seeking out the shadow of her cleavage again and the tattoo that caressed one side. "But, with the use of Ancestor technology, and strong alliances, great advances could be made whilst the Wraith slept. It was only when we began to control a wide area that most of the Wraith awoke to protect themselves from us and battle each other for the worlds that remain out of our protection."

John sighed aware that he was falling asleep, but he tried to resist it, blinking his eyes to try and focus on the conversation and on her tinkering. "Shame the rest of the galaxy can't benefit from that protection," John managed to say.

"Give us time," Emmagan replied and he could no longer keep his eyes open. As he dropped into the deep sleep of the exhausted there was one last sound of a disapproving reptilian hiss.

------  
TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Part**: 9/?

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"Sheppard." The voice cut through the fog and brought John immediately awake. He had been lost in an anxious dream in which he had been walking the empty complex corridors of the Elite ship. As he woke up the anxiety followed him reminding him that he wasn't home and that danger could be near. He sat up from the soft sofa cushions, his right hand grabbing at his thigh, looking for the comforting handle of his sidearm. But, of course it wasn't there and only as his mind cleared properly did he remember why. Emmagan was standing nearby, her voice the one that had woken him. Her eyes lifted from his thigh and she gave him what he thought was an approving glance.

"It is time for late meal," she said as she moved away into her bedroom area.

John cleared his throat, blinking away sleep and anxiety. He still had no idea what time it was and after his impromptu nap he felt rather disorientated. However, his stomach grumbled, making its opinion clear; late meal sounded good.

Emmagan reappeared, still wrapped up in her dark form fitting clothing. John's gaze moved from where she had tucked a long knife into a sheath at the back of her belt, to the small patches of bared skin at her sides. Her tattoos didn't show on her left side, so he guessed it was just her right side. Ketra hissed abruptly and John turned to where the small creature was perched on the sofa directly opposite him. The orange eyes were dull coloured, but sharply focused on him. Quickly John assessed the distance across the table between the lizard and his own jugular; she could easily make the jump.

Emmagan broke the stalemate by moving toward the table and she extended her arm towards Ketra, who with one last narrowed eyed look at John, climbed up its owner's arm. Emmagan then turned and headed towards the door and John lifted his sleepy form up out of the comfortable sofa and followed her. They moved through the corridors beyond on the route back towards the canteen. Ketra clung to Emmagan easily, hanging its body and tail across her back like some kind of drapery. The little dragon looked back at him occasionally, not approving that he was so close and so John added a little extra space to his two pace rule.

They entered the canteen a few minutes later and as soon as the doors opened John knew that main staff eating times were clearly over and the collection of individuals around one large table were the rest of the Elite. The eclectic group of people seemed to radiate strength, aggression and power. And they would not have looked out of place in a Blade comic. The theme of clothing was dark shades and, for the most part, close fitting. There was a lot of belts, straps, holsters, knifes and judging by the reduced number of arms Emmagan and Si were wearing, he guessed the other Elite were wearing less weaponry than usual.

Emmagan led him away from the main table towards a buffet spread set across the room. He pulled his eyes away from the vampire gang around the table to study the collection of food for the late meal. It looked pretty basic, but then that didn't really surprise him. Emmagan had a simple metal dish in her hand and was adding what looked like a thick gruel onto one side, then a few yellow potato looking things and finally some more familiar looking green beans. She handed the dish to John and turned to fill one for herself.

"Shouldn't I be the one serving up the food?" He asked as he looked into the dish with its small offerings. He noticed that Emmagan served herself the same amounts.

"Elite choose their own food," she replied as she added green beans to her dish.

John surveyed the foods she hadn't added to the dishes; a pink leafy looking salad and a bowl of white lumps that were definitely not sugar lumps.

"What no beef and gravy?" John muttered to himself.

Emmagan pointed forward towards a large jug. "That is gravy, it is quite good. What is beef?"

John decided to risk the gravy; it might help hide the gruel. "It's from part of a cow; a four legged animal."

Her head snapped round to look up at him. "You eat animals?"

John straightened the jug of gravy and met her eyes with a worried look. Had he just broken some alien taboo? "Yes," he replied honestly. "I take it you don't?"

"You will find few in the military who do," she replied as if it was an understatement.

"Really?" John asked carefully. He would have thought the big buff soldiers on the other table would be well into their protein. It also sparked other questions about the Alliance and why it was only the military that didn't eat meat. "Is it a religious thing?" John asked carefully.

Emmagan turned with her dish to look up at him. "Why do Wraith kill humans?"

John knew immediately where this was going. "To feed on them."

"That is why," she replied.

"It's hardly the same," John caught himself arguing, the gravy jug still in his hand. "On Earth the animals we use for food are killed humanly…for the most part."

Emmagan pursed her lips. "If the Wraith one day suggested that they would only kill humans 'humanly' would we allow them to still kill our kind?"

John thought on that for a moment, having a vision of lines of humans queuing up to a Wraith Hive ship to be killed 'humanly'. "I guess not," he admitted.

She lifted her dish. "We have all the necessary nutrients available." She turned and moved back towards the large table.

John set down the gravy jug finally and caught up with her about half way across the canteen. John looked over the Elite group as they grew closer and realised that there were more women than men; four men to six women including Emmagan. Interesting. There were a few slaves stood around the room, several steps behind their owners, and John spied Kanaan sitting at a far corner of the table beside one of the pilots from the bridge. Emmagan reached the table and gestured to a space next to her, indicating that John should sit beside her. John paused for a moment, wondering if he should, but then followed her lead and sat down. Heads turned towards him and Emmagan as they sat.

"Why is a slave at the table?" One woman asked sternly. John had seen the tattoos on her back as he had walked towards the table. She had two holes cut into her top exposing her shoulder blades, over which her tats could be seen. She stared at Emmagan now, not even looking at John.

Emmagan passed a metal spoon to John and turned to her own food. "You are well aware of my opinion on the treatment of slaves."

The stern woman looked at John and back to Emmagan who was munching on a potato. Ketra leant forward from her shoulder, its small mouth reaching towards the potato. Emmagan made a hissing noise through her teeth and Ketra pulled back.

"You do not normally bring your slaves to our table," the woman continued.

Emmagan finally looked round at the woman. "This is Major John Sheppard from Atlantis."

The woman's face took on a surprised expression and then it merged into curiosity as her eyes returned to John. Another woman sat on the corner of the table by John's right side also began staring at him and then leant out from her seat to look down John's back. John felt like he was back in that slave cage again and he glared at the woman in response, not caring about what was polite; because she sure wasn't. He was fed up with being treated like a piece of meat, which took on a whole new meaning following his conversation just now with Emmagan.

The rude woman lifted her eyes and smiled at him. "I like this one, Emmagan. If you grow bored…"

"Have we heard from the Hastos?" Emmagan cut through the offer.

"We received their final call before they went into hyperspace to the meeting point," Halling replied from his seat beside Scarface down the far end of the table. John almost did a double take as he finally registered the details of the woman to Halling's left. She had purple skin, like those two slaves John had seen back on the station. Her blue red eyes met his shocked look.

"Do not stare at her, she does not like it," Emmagan told him and he quickly looked away.

"Sorry," John muttered, looking briefly at the woman again with an apologetic smile, hoping it would translate to the alien. The woman's eyes met his and she angled her head; hopefully that meant she had accepted his apology.

"Eat your meal," Emmagan said reminding him quietly of the food in front of him.

"Yes, Miss," he replied with a smile at her, feeling closer to her now he was surrounded by such a hostile audience. Ketra took this moment to snap at him, before she ran down Emmagan's right arm onto the table. John had pulled his closest arm away from the lizard as it passed and people began laughing around the table.

"Appears Ketra does not approve of him, Emmagan," Si laughed loudly.

Ketra made her way down the table and each person reached out to stroke her as she passed them. John watched the creature with suspicion.

"The feeling is mutual," he said making Si laugh again. Ketra shuffled quickly towards Si and as he reached out a large strong hand to stroke over the little dragon, John watched Ketra's skin turn from dull to a brighter silver again.

"Are you planning to collect people from Atlantis?" The stern woman cut in.

"I am not collecting anyone," Emmagan replied with a touch of amusement, "he required my assistance and, as we have discussed before, contact with Atlantis is inevitable."

"Or he's a spy," Scarface interjected from across the table.

John felt eyes back on him again.

"He was captured by a planet looking for funds for Alliance protection," Emmagan explained, kindly leaving out the trap part.

"That is what you were told," Scarface replied.

"Our limited past experience with Atlantis has suggested they are not aggressive," the purple skinned woman said. Her two visible tats ran along her collar bones and were coloured not in black like the others', but in a deep indigo shade.

"They are aggressive against the Wraith, that is all I think is important," the woman John had seen leave the lift earlier added to the conversation from a far end of the table.

"Our common hate for the Wraith may be all that is important," Halling said as he pushed his empty dish away from him. Ketra saw the movement and headed towards the empty dish, but had to pass Scarface who waved her away aggressively. Only then he picked up a piece of bean and tossed it to her. Happy with her morsel Ketra moved on and John watched the lizard leap up along Kanaan's arm and settle against his shoulder. John's gaze slid from Ketra to Kanaan who was looking at him with a suspicious look.

"When the territory line is pushed outwards we will inevitably meet Atlantis forces," the stern woman said.

"That is if the High Council ever agree to it," Scarface muttered from the end of the table.

"It will happen, they will see," the purple skinned woman said softly to him.

"I doubt it," Scarface replied bitterly. "They are more interested in holding onto what they rule than to do what the Alliance was born to do; defeat the Wraith."

"They agreed to the present attack and that suggests they are invested in looking beyond the border."

John listened carefully, but kept his head down as he ate, quietly taking in the intel. Besides he was starving and surprisingly the food tasted really good, even the gruel. The potato things had a nice smooth, almost curry like, flavour and the gravy was sweet like honey. He was barely able to keep himself from eating like he was starving and though he had been worrying that the small portions would not be enough, as he ate he could feed that the food was filling him. By the time he had finished, carefully gathering all traces of the gravy from the sides, he felt completely full and his stomach glowed with fulfilment. The discussion around the table had turned to names and places he knew nothing about, so he set his dish aside and sat back a little, trying to keep out of the Elite's interest. It didn't last long.

Scarface was looking at him again with that judging look. John met the glare this time. Scarface turned abruptly towards the purple skinned woman.

"Nalla, is he a spy?" The question cut through the others' discussion on the fleet deployments, the Elite apparently liking to combine meetings with meal times. All eyes shifted between Nalla and John.

"It is a valid question," the stern woman added her two cents.

Nalla looked towards Emmagan. "It is Emmagan's choice; he is her slave."

John bit back his thoughts on that. Emmagan turned to him. "Nalla is able to sense others' emotions. She will be able to tell if you are hiding anything from us."

John frowned at that and looked at the purple skinned woman. He didn't like the idea of someone having that much knowledge of him. And besides these were not the kinds of people you wanted knowing your every thought, or rather every feeling.

"I sense current emotions, not old ones," Nalla replied as if he had asked her a question. She seemed a calm and polite woman, but the tattoos across her collarbones told him she was a warrior who had killed at least two Wraith Queens with her nicely manicured purple hands.

"Anything I learn whilst being here of course I'm gonna tell my superiors about, but I'm not a spy. Mistress Emmagan helped me out of a bind and I decided to join her on this mission as maybe I could help out, repay her in some way. I've had a lot of experience against Wraith, and other enemies, and I'm an experienced pilot; maybe I can help."

He could feel the judging going on around him, but he kept his eyes on Nalla. The woman inclined her head. "He speaks the truth in that regard, though he likes the idea of taking out the Queen." The extra piece of information seemed to actually help his cause and John saw a few approving nods around the table. Scarface was still glaring at him though.

Emmagan looked over at Scarface. "Are you satisfied, Oneakka?"

Oneakka turned his gaze on Emmagan and angled his head in a move that was probably as close to a nod as that man would ever get. "I am only concerned about your safety as much as ours." Despite the previous arrogant and aggressive words, these were honest and full of conviction. John got a view then into why Oneakka was close to the calm mannered Halling.

"I always value your opinion," Emmagan replied to Oneakka and they smiled at each other with a look that spoke to a long history of friendship.

"Now you two have finished your bonding moment, can we get onto the mission?" Si asked, resulting in some more laughter.

There was a strong sense of comradeship to the Elite group, though the stern woman still looked a little unconvinced.

----------

When John had first seen the 'sleeping box' that had been provided for him he had not been impressed, though once he had actually sat down on it he had found that the basic mattress was comfortable enough. After the long meeting in the canteen they had headed back to Emmagan's quarters and John had found his new bed had been delivered. It had been put on the floor just on the living area side of the long curtain to Emmagan's sleeping area. John had only then realised he should have brought something to sleep in as he only had day clothes. He wondered if Emmagan would mind him wandering through to the bathroom in the night dressed only in his underwear.

John had sat down on his bed outside the now drawn curtain to Emmagan's sleeping area and prepared for bed. Emmagan moved around on the other side of the curtain quietly, though he was able to pick out the sound of rustling clothing at one point. Then he thought he heard the sound of her sitting down on the bench and what sounded like a brush running through hair.

A rumbling growling noise echoed from the far corner from the living area. Ketra had not looked impressed by his bed being in the living area, and had sat on top of her little wooden home glaring down at him, looking very territorial. John had ignored her up until now, but now he saw she was lifting her upper lip and showing her teeth again. He had a horrible thought of what she might do to him in the night.

"Ummm, are you sure Ketra doesn't mind me sleeping in here?" John called through the curtain, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.

He heard a light chuckle from the other side of the curtain. "Ketra. Leave," Emmagan called out sternly. Ketra responded immediately looking grumpily towards the curtain, before she climbed down into the top floor of her wooden home. John watched the lizard curl up inside, but the orange eyes returned to him.

"Thanks," John replied through the curtain, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was going to work. As he settled down onto his rather comfortable mattress he wondered which part of him Ketra would attack first. The sound of a brush through hair started up again. John tried not to listen, but it was far too tempting. "Night," he called to Emmagan.

The brushing stopped and he heard movement. "Good dreams, Sheppard," she replied moments before all the lights shut off.

John held still for a few long moments in the darkness, wondering if Ketra was stalking towards him. He couldn't remember if lizards were nocturnal back on Earth, but then it probably varied and after all Ketra was from an alien world in another galaxy.

There were no sounds from the other side of the curtain, and with no obvious sounds of an impeding lizard attack, John settled properly down onto his mattress, pulling the blanket up over him and laying his head down on the comfortable pillow. He realised there were no portholes in Emmagan's quarters and without that touch of starlight and hyperspace, there was absolutely no light whatsoever in the room. The complete darkness was oddly claustrophobic and he found himself worrying over Ketra again, which was odd as there was a beautiful woman sleeping only a couple of metres away. If Ketra's aim was to distract him from Emmagan, then it was working. He was spending his time worrying on whether the mini dragon might be sneaking up on him in the night and biting him in the… He tucked the edges of the blanket tightly around the outsides of his legs and hips, not allowing any gaps. Okay he was getting paranoid. He took a breath and released it, trying to relax as best he could.

He woke abruptly to the sound of a loud buzzing noise. He sat half up, his head thick with sleep. The lights were on full and he blinked round as Emmagan pulled back the main curtain. She was fully dressed in a slightly different outfit from yesterday and her hair had clearly been re-braided. She looked down at him with amusement as she walked past him.

"It appeared you needed the rest."

John sat upright, rubbing at his face. "Is it morning already?"

"Yes," she replied as she moved to the main doorway as the buzzing noise sounded again. John realised it was the equivalent to a doorbell or Atlantis' room chimes. She turned to him with a pointed look.

"Right, I'll get up," he replied pulling his heavy body up out of the sleeping box. He certainly felt like he had slept all night, but it had refreshed him. He picked up his bag and moved away through Emmagan's sleeping area and into the bathroom, not registering that he was only dressed in his underwear until he got in there.

A shower woke him up properly and he emerged from the bathroom a short time later in fresh clothes and aware that today would be an interesting day. He passed Emmagan's bed, which was perfectly made like she hadn't slept in it, and into the living area. Si was perched on the corner of one sofa, Ketra on his knee absorbing affection. Si's dark eyes landed on John and lifted to his hair, which without the aid of any hair products had returned to its main state of complete rebellion against gravity. John resisted the urge to run his hand through it.

"Si will take you to the training room," Emmagan told him, "where you can learn of our weapons and see how the Elite train."

Si smiled widely and John suspected the interesting part of the day was going to start early. "What no breakfast?"

Si set Ketra aside and stood up. "You can eat after training." There was far too much glee in the big man's eyes for John to feel comfortable, but half of it was about bravado wasn't it? So he nodded.

"Sounds good," he replied and moved forward appearing eager.

"Stay with Si," Emmagan told him as he passed her and he nodded at her clear warning, wondering where she was going to spend the morning. Perhaps visiting Kanaan?

He followed Si out into the corridor and looked back to Emmagan to find she was watching him in return. He got the abrupt sense that she had been admiring him from behind, but there was nothing but a faint polite smile across her face. The door closed and he turned his attention to following Si. He wondered if he was expected to follow behind Si like he did Emmagan, but besides it wasn't like there was any space next to Si's wide shoulders in the corridor anyway. John held back more than he would with Emmagan.

The training room was situated near the front of the ship, if John's orientation was correct. And it was hardly a 'room', being about the same size as a school gym. The floor had the usual gym standard of thick mats across the floor, but it was the wide selection of weaponry set along the walls that drew John's attention. The weapons were all arranged orderly and in groups set in racks fixed to the walls. The first section held wooden weapons clearly for basic training, then metal weapons that didn't look too sharp and finally in the far corner a selection of guns. Ford would love it here.

As he followed Si into the wide space he got a sinking feeling. "So, I guess this is the point where you want to 'test my skills'?" John asked.

Si turned with a wide smile as he reached a narrow table and began taking off his own very real sharp deadly weapons and laying them aside. His two guns from his hips were the last to be set down.

"Look I'm not sure what you hope to prove. I mean look at you; you're built like a house, you kill Wraith for a living and you've taken out Wraith Queens with your bare hands. I'm not sure what exactly it is you need to prove." It perhaps wasn't the best thing to say, but John said it. He had spent the last couple of days being manhandled, treated like crap and ordered around. Though Emmagan had been friendly he was hardly in the most relaxing of environments and wasn't popular with the other Elite. But, Si seemed loyal to Emmagan and John took his single opportunity to get back at someone, even a little bit.

Si smiled and chuckled as he pulled a wooden staff out of a rack and tossed it at John. John caught it, aware that there wasn't going to be any way out of this.

"It'll help you," Si replied as he pulled a staff of his own out of the rack. "Feel free to take out all that anger on me." The big man strode towards John, lifting his staff in both hands.

John gripped his staff in both hands as well, swallowing with worry. Yet, a part of him felt a flush of joy at having a weapon in his hands again, even if it was only a staff and not a P90. Maybe Si was right; he could do with a workout. He tested the weight of the staff as Si grew closer. "So are there any rules?"

Si struck out abruptly, the wooden weapon sailing out from one hand directly at John's head. John jumped back just in time and pulled his staff up quickly to block the next blow that Si delivered. John pushed away the attack and struck out himself with the end of his weapon, but Si easily stepped aside and the wooden end of his weapon connected with John's back sending him sailing down to the mats. John sighed with aggression as he got up and turned back towards Si, who was already attacking again.

"Where are no pauses in fighting Wraith," Si said very calmly even though he was striking out at John repeatedly. "They are always stronger and faster." John was completely on the defensive, blocking and dodging as best he could as he was forced continually backwards. "The odds are never in your favour and the moment you think they are…" John blocked a rapid series of strikes feeling his body finally getting into the game. "You strike…" Si twisted abruptly, dropping one end of his staff and swung down at John's feet. It was too fast and John tumbled down again, legs knocked out from under him. "Or you die."

John rolled away from Si and crawled a few more feet to get some distance. He was on his feet and better prepared when Si came at him. Si held his staff overhead in both of the guy's thick hands as he struck down at John and John had a moment of amazement at the speed of the man as the wooden weapon thundered down on him. John blocked Si's staff across his own, but was forced to his knees by the impact. Si pressed his weight down on John's staff and John's arms shook with the strain. Si kicked out at John's closest knee, but John just saw it in time so dropped his arms and rolled away. Si chased him across the mats and it was only when John did a tumble roll away that he got enough space between them to get up again. Si chuckled as he attacked with rapid strikes. John deflected them, but the shock of the heavy wood weapons connecting was sending vibrations down from his hands, making his wrists and elbows ache. What was more worrying was that it was clear Si wasn't really trying very hard. John got frustrated with that thought.

He blocked the next strike, turned with the hit and struck up at Si's head. The big guy smiled as he dodged, turned and stepped aside. With a few moments of breathing space John considered his options. The staff was too much weight for him to use for as long as this. John turned and ran from Si, which clearly had surprised the warrior, but John didn't stay to watch any more of Si's reactions. He tossed down his staff as he reached the racks of wooden weapons and pulled out a strong wooden sword. He turned with the weapon in a double grip and moved forward to meet the next attack. Si was smiling as he did so. John was still well out of his depth, but the sword weighed less and he was able to use it more effectively. He blocked the staff at angles that helped divert Si's added strength and he even managed to get in a few strikes at the guy. None of them connected of course, but it still felt like John was getting somewhere.

Si stepped back eventually and John did the same, panting for breath. There hadn't been any breaks with Si, just strike after strike on and on. Si smiled again as he turned and walked towards the wooden racks. He set his staff back into the rack and reached out to John, silently asking for the wooden sword back. John threw the weapon back, thinking that as bad as that had been it hadn't been as bad as he had expected. Si returned the sword to the racks and then moved on to two short sticks about the length of a forearm. He turned and threw them one at a time at John. John hadn't been expecting that and only caught one in time. The other stick landed by his feet. As John picked it up he sighed - he should have known better than to think it had been over.

"These are Emmagan's favourite weapons," Si told him as he pulled out two sticks of his own. "They are called bantos rods and the Athosians are experts in their use. Of course her swords are of more use against Wraith, but in training the rods are very useful." Si moved forward swinging the bantos rods round with expert skill. The sticks looked more like twigs in the big guy's hands.

John tested the medium weight of the sticks in his hands and did an experimental spin with one, swinging it around in his hand. Si was on him then, and John barely managed to block the rapid three hits and the fourth one caught him across the arm. Swearing loudly John pulled back after picking up his fallen rod. Si held back waiting. John guessed this was a different kind of test now. Shame he didn't know the rules. After long minutes through which John collected a wide range of bruises and, though it was clear Si was pulling his hits, they still hurt. John had enough by then and stopped trying to prove himself as an equal and began to fall back into his training.

He started dodging more and side stepping, trying to use speed and skill over Si's power. That usually worked against bigger opponents, but it appeared that, against all John's experience, Si was as fast as anyone else despite the bulk of muscle he carried. John started to play dirty then, taking low shots at Si's ankles and poking in the ends of the sticks to jab at Si. Si blocked them all, until one point when John was knocked down and instead of rolling away for distance with which to get up, John rolled towards Si and kicked up. Si grunted as the kick hit his thigh, but he dropped down onto John, pinning his legs with his weight.

John dropped his sticks and reached up for a grappling hold, twisting his body and arm around Si, trying to get his arm around Si's thick neck. Si grunted as he twisted in response and gently elbowed John in his side and John hissed out a breath, but kept on, changing his grip to dig his nails into Si's skin. Si grunted again and dropped all his weight down over John, taking them to the floor. He was a very heavy man and John's breath was forced out of him under the impact, but though his vision dimmed slightly, John had a slight advantage that Si was closer, so he worked to complete his headlock on the warrior. Si rolled over, pulling John with him to shove John under his weight again. But, the break had given John space to lift his legs out from under Si and he wrapped them as best he could around Si's waist.

At this point he was aware of someone laughing nearby, but John kept on, knowing that Si still had the upper hand, but he wasn't going to give in. Sure Si was bigger than him, but he still knew how to fight. He broke one arm free and lightly punched into Si's kidney area and got a growl for his effort. Si got his arms fully around John's chest and began squeezing. John wrapped his legs tighter around Si's middle and he also tried to squeeze the big man's neck at the same time. It would be a matter of who lost consciousness first.

Si rolled again, but stopped on his back this time, John's lower legs trapped under his bulk and John's forehead pressed into the mat in order to keep his headlock around Si's neck. Si released his tight hold around John's middle, abruptly giving John full breathing space again, but then the two fists slapped into both of John's kidneys. He grunted under the impact and decided a new tactic was needed. He twisted pulling one leg out from under Si, and he rolled onto his back pulling Si with him by his neck. It sounded like Si laughed for a moment before John completed the headlock properly this time, one arm entirely around Si's throat and he wrapped his legs back around Si. It was a strong grappling hold, but Si was so big John couldn't really get all the leverage he needed. Si rolled heavier onto John and reached up at John's head and his big thumbs found the soft vulnerable points under John's jaw where too much pressure would knock him out. John tried to bury his head into his neck, but Si worked one hand around John's throat and John could only put more pressure on Si's throat in response.

"Enough!" Emmagan shouted abruptly and Si's hands relaxed from John's throat. John's awareness broke into real time and he registered that he was panting with exertion and that his body was tired and partly trapped under Si. Si gripped one of John's arms and pulled hard, trying to break his headlock, which John realised he hadn't released.

"Sheppard," Emmagan commanded and it broke through John's fighting mindset and he released Si. The two of them rolled away from each other. John laid flat on his back for a moment trying to steady his breathing and feel a moment of pride that he hadn't been a total pushover as Si had been expecting. John was pretty sure Si could have broken one of John's arms or legs if he had wanted, but he had chosen to play 'fair'. John looked over at Si who was getting up. John sat up and groaned as he got up slowly.

"Are you injured?" Emmagan asked from behind him. John wasn't sure if she was asking him or Si the question, but he replied anyway.

"No, I'm okay," he replied, though his tight voice and groan as he stood upright probably didn't add much credence to that answer. As he turned to look at Emmagan he realised there was an audience behind her and he remembered he had heard someone laughing. Oneakka, Halling and a female Elite warrior were standing just inside the doorway. They looked amused.

John looked at Emmagan to see that she wasn't angry or worried, but she did look him over sternly and then Si. John looked over at Si and was immensely proud that there was a small cut on Si's face, the small amount of blood drying on his skin a tiny victory. Si looked at him with a wide smile and reached out to clap John on his shoulder.

"Do not worry, Emmagan, I wasn't going to break your toy. Besides, I like him," Si said as he shook John's shoulder forcefully, though it was clear it was affectionate in nature. John smiled back at the guy.

"Thanks for not breaking anything," John said honestly.

Si laughed at that and released John's shoulder with one last slap.

"Males," Emmagan muttered, but there was a smile to her lips. "Next time you feel like testing someone who is not Elite, use the Generator," she said to Si.

Si smiled at her. "Simulation is not the same."

She inclined her head. "Agreed, but it would hardly be the best first contact with Atlantis for us to return his dead body."

John felt more than a little pleased that she was worried for him. "I can handle myself, mostly. You give me a gun and I'm your guy." She met his eyes and the double-entendre he hadn't intended, at least not consciously, made her lift an eyebrow.

"That is your preferred weapon?" She asked.

"I'm an okay shot," he replied liking the challenging sparkle in her eyes.

She gestured towards the rack of guns behind him. "Show me."

The gym turned into a shooting range with minimal effort. From the ceiling targets were lowered on rails like back in an Earth range, and Si laid out a wide selection of guns. John looked them over as Si gave him a brief overview of each weapon, though some of the terms he used John had to translate to what he believed Si was talking about. It was pleasing to see that the Elite used projectile weapons as well as energy weapons. John picked up each weapon in turn learning the basic mechanisms and checking them all over, for once in his life making sure all could see his skill. The three Elite who continued to be an audience moved closer, appearing eager to get into some shooting as well.

"Show me," Emmagan repeated once Si had finished his tour de weaponry.

John picked up a gun the closest to what he was used to. It had the same weight as a P90, though the loading mechanism was slightly different. The line marking the far distance to the targets had been revealed when several mats had been pulled back. John stepped up to the line, set the weapon against him, taking his time to get comfortable, but not too long as to appear unsure of himself. He squeezed off five precise rounds and lowered the weapon, making it safe and turned to Emmagan. She brought the target forward on the metal mechanical rails and as it drew closer John felt a flash of relief as all five holes were tightly clustered around the target's outlined face, all in its forehead. Not bad and with an alien weapon, though it had far less kick back than Earth weapons and he wondered how they had achieved it.

The other Elite peered forward and Halling and Si made sounds of approval. Oneakka moved away to the table, selected a weapon of his own and moved towards John. John held his ground and to his relief Oneakka simply stood up to the line beside him. Oneakka reached for the target and scratched a tiny cross with his thumbnail into the chalklike covering and sent the target back across the gym. Once the target had settled against the far wall Oneakka, with a condescending smile at John, lifted his weapon and with barely a second to aim he set off two shots. John looked down at the target as it ran back towards them. The tiny cross Oneakka had marked was obliterated under the two bullet holes that had been so close it was basically one hole.

"Childs play," Oneakka replied.

"Then why shoot twice?" John asked, more from interest than for the challenge.

Oneakka smiled slightly, creasing up the scar running down the side of his face. "Most Wraith require two rapid shots; one to break through the skull and a second to make sure they go down."

John stored that nugget away. A P90 didn't usually require such precision firing in the heat of battle, but it was worth knowing.

"Why does a pilot need such a high standard of skills?" Emmagan asked.

John turned back to her. "Everyone in our military goes through basic training."

"That did not answer my question," she replied.

John nodded that she was right. He guessed this wouldn't be the arena to confess his extra black ops experience. "I flew a lot of choppers and planes into some harsh areas on my world," he said instead.

"Are your people at war with each other?" Halling asked.

"As a rule most of the planet is at peace, but there are a few areas where there is still warfare. In my home galaxy there are several dangerous alien enemies as well. One race in particular ruled over many planets." The Elite looked particularly interested in that. "They were a parasitic race that invaded a host's body and took over them. They ruled like gods over their subjugated people."

"You speak in the past tense," Emmagan pointed out.

John smiled grimly. "Their slaves rebelled and together we got rid of them." The Elite exchanged a few impressed expressions.

"Who rules your planet now?" Halling asked.

"There are many different countries, each have their own sovereignty. But, there are several superpowers who together oversee our interests off world."

"Why did your people come to this galaxy?" Emmagan asked.

John met her gaze. "We were still struggling to find a way to stop these aliens and we knew that there was a lost city that the Ancients, the Ancestors, had left in this galaxy. We had been left the address and we hoped to find information and the means with which to save our galaxy."

"Did you find what you needed?" Emmagan asked.

"We didn't need it in the end against that particular enemy, but Ancient technology has saved our asses many times. What we've learnt in Atlantis has made so much more possible and there are still threats back home. And of course there's the new threat of the Wraith."

"They know of Earth," Emmagan stated with no question.

John nodded. "We can't let them find the means to get to Earth. Not only would my people be at risk, but the billions of other humans in my home galaxy."

"So you chose to stay in Atlantis," Halling said.

John dragged his gaze away from Emmagan's curious large eyes. "Yes and we've learnt a hell of a lot there. We've saved the city from destruction a couple of times as well. And we've been helping a lot of other worlds hit by the Wraith," he added carefully.

"We have heard that you have taken in survivors," Halling asked.

"Yes, we have. Many we have relocated, but there are some who have asked to stay in the city. The numbers are increasing who need our protection." John looked over the Elite as he said that. It was well known that the Alliance protected only their own and the worlds outside were left to the Wraith.

"The Elite wish to eliminate all Wraith," Emmagan said.

"I got the impression from what you guys were saying last night that you have some resistance to that," John asked carefully.

The Elite warriors exchanged looks that told John enough; they felt frustrated. "It is important that we remain strong as an Alliance," Emmagan replied repeating what was clearly the policy line.

Oneakka huffed at that. "The politicians make the decisions and half of them haven't seen a Wraith for most of their lifetime thanks to our work."

"We have the same problems back home sometimes," John confessed. "The balance between civilian governments and the military is always a difficult one."

"We must temper each other," Emmagan said.

"They do not listen to us. The military is a tool they wield, we are nothing more to them," Oneakka argued.

"They fear our power," Si added.

A loud blazing alarm echoed around the gym and the lighting dimmed abruptly.

"Elite to the central station," a voice echoed through a wall panel, not that the warriors hadn't already been heading for the door.

John set down his gun on the way out, though tempted to take it with him. One quick lift ride and a fast pace down a corridor and they were in the bridge. John hung back to the side, keeping himself close to Emmagan. The lighting had changed and the bridge was filled with more people, all of which were looking at the large porthole at the front. They had dropped out of hyperspace, the stars clear outside as was the round weight of a planet nearby. John frowned at the view, wondering what the problem was. He glanced over at Emmagan and saw the tension in her shoulders and looked back to the display screens beside the view. There was a display of another ship, similar to this one and John looked back out towards the planet and saw light glint off something in orbit of the planet.

"No contact?" Someone was asking.

"They are not responding, but we received a brief burst of a warning alarm before we reached the coordinates," a voice reported from the other side of the large bodies of the Elite.

"Status of Hastos?" Halling demanded as he moved forward, peering up at the displays by the front porthole.

Emmagan turned to the display table. "We are detecting power and life readings, but no response to our calls. The ship's engines are inactive, but they have power."

"Take us closer," Halling commanded to a pilot.

As they neared John saw the ship finally and immediately it was obvious that something was seriously wrong. The ship was set at an odd angle and was clearly drifting without control.

"Their life support and gravity shielding are intact," Si reported from the display table.

John shifted forward to look around Emmagan's shoulder at the displays. He squinted at the alien language, but it made no hint of sense so he focused on the visual parts of the display. There was an outline of the Hastos with patches highlighted with different colours. He picked out what had to be the engines and then another screen appeared with a mix of small dots, presumably life signs. A new light appeared suddenly on the screen and he heard Emmagan take a breath to tell someone, but suddenly the ship shuddered violently under them. John staggered as the floor lurched under him.

"The Hastos is firing on us!" Si reported with shock and anger.

"Call them again. Send the identification code," Halling commanded.

"They are not responding," the report came back. The ship shuddered again.

The screens before Emmagan shifted as she touched a button and another display took the Hastos' place. "That was a direct hit to our number one engine," she reported with the same shock in her voice as Si had. She looked up. "We must fire back."

"Agreed," Halling replied and John saw Oneakka and another Elite member step away towards a console across from the display table. The ship shuddered violently again, but this time John had got a good grip on the table and he jammed his shoulder against Emmagan's to help her stay upright.

"Is the Hastos an Elite ship?" He asked her.

"Yes, they are part of the mission. We are," the ship shuddered again, "attacking the Wraith together."

"We have two direct hits to their hull," Oneakka reported with a mixture of victory and concern in his voice.

A light flashed on the table and John looked down at the same time as Emmagan. "I am detecting an energy build up in their second engine," she reported.

The flash of light from the front drew everyone's attention and they watched as a burst of fire engulfed one corner of the Hastos. The flames quickly dying as they met the vacuum of space and John saw piece of debris in the distance that told of a compartment decompression. As the light faded the Hastos was revealed again and John could tell exactly where engine two had been, for one corner of the ship was missing.

"They still have atmosphere," Emmagan reported, "emergency procedures have kicked in. Power has been reduced to emergency levels."

"Life signs?" Halling asked.

Emmagan brought up that screen. "Several are missing from before, but the majority are intact." There was a collective sense of relief. Emmagan checked another screen. "Their weapons are off line."

John reached forward and pressed the control he had watched Emmagan use to change the screens. She didn't object as he called up the life signs screen again. "Look at this; the life signs are clustered into three groups in the ship."

Halling appeared beside Emmagan and Oneakka, Nalla and another Elite member stepped up. "They could be trapped in those areas," Halling suggested.

"Would Wraith life signs show up differently on this?" John asked.

"Yes, these are all human," Emmagan informed him.

"Could it have been a malfunction?" Nalla asked.

"No, we were precisely targeted," Oneakka replied.

"They sent out a warning signal just before we were due to arrive, but that signal was cut off almost immediately," Si said, "maybe someone tried to warn us, but was stopped."

"Or the warning was to draw us in," Nalla suggested.

"Why did their second engine explode?" John asked Emmagan.

She was already looking at those screens, but since he couldn't understand it he had asked directly.

"The power build up we detected suggests it was deliberate," she replied.

"Are there any other ships nearby?" Si asked.

"No I checked, nothing," Oneakka replied.

"Something happened on that ship and we have possible personnel trapped over there," Halling stated.

"Is it wise to get closer?" Nalla asked. "This could be part of the plan."

"Their weapons and engines are down, and their life support will not last on emergency power for long. We can not afford to leave our people over there," another female Elite argued.

John watched the interaction around him. There still didn't appear to be any clear hierarchy among the Elite. One female Elite warrior stood next to him reached past him to press the display calling up a tighter view of the Hastos. "There are two isolated life signs close to the area where the second engine was located."

All eyes turned to the screen. "We should go in three teams; two to the large groups of lifesigns here and here, the other team will start with these two near the engine room," Emmagan suggested and there were nods all round.

"Let's go," Oneakka stated pushing past the others towards the exit.

John followed quickly behind Emmagan into the corridor. "Let me come along, I can help." She glanced over at him doubtfully. "You need as many people as possible; there are at least three areas that need to be searched. It's gonna be tight quarters in there and you know I can take care of myself. Let me help."

She walked on thinking and he was aware of Elite ears around them.

"Very well," she replied looking up at him through the duller lighting, "but you keep behind me at all times and you follow all orders. If an Elite tells you to back away, you will do so. If there is any fighting you keep out of the way if possible."

"Okay," John agreed, feeling finally useful.

-------  
TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Part**: 10/?

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John leant forward to peer through the tiny porthole, set down the corridor from the airlock, as the ship shifted closer to the Hastos, matching its drifting alignment. Above John's head the cloudy atmosphere of the planet turned slowly. John looked up at the planet, which had only a few minutes ago been below his eye line. For a few moments his human brain and senses battled with that fact; that what had been 'below' before was now 'above' and yet he hadn't felt any change. John had flown many aircraft over the years in which he had pulled inverted moves, and he still found it a thrill not to feel any Gs in a spacecraft. In a way he missed it, but even if there wasn't that overwhelming pressure and adrenaline rush of the Gs, it still didn't stop his stomach from momentarily considering whether to empty itself. He returned his gaze to the Hastos, falling back into his training to stop the nauseous reaction.

The Hastos looked as sleek and deadly as the one on which he stood. John studied the vessel as it grew even closer; looking for signs of weapons fire or any other damage other than the missing engine. He saw nothing that told of any recent battles or damage, and as the Hastos filled up the porthole entirely he shifted his attention to the outer airlock on the other ship where they would connect up and board her. John had never been all that comfortable with the new transporter technology from Earth, but it was a very useful tool that had saved his and others' life many times in the past. He wondered why the Alliance didn't have anything like that.

John turned from the porthole to look down the corridor towards the airlock. The corridor was full of the Elite warriors, their darkly dressed heavily armoured bodies filling up the space. Emmagan stood a foot or so away from John and he watched as she leant forward towards the porthole, her shoulder passing only an inch away from his chest as she looked out at the Hastos. John peered around her to look out again.

"She looks like a good ship," John offered.

"Yes, she is," Emmagan replied.

"Same design as this ship?" he asked trying to pull her into a little conversation.

Emmagan turned her head to look up at him, bringing their faces very close together. The odd light of the far too close planet and the dull shine off the closing Hastos cast her complexion a pale grey glow.

"The Hastos and Sythus were constructed together," she confirmed before she turned away to look out at the ship again.

"Hastos and Sythus," John murmured the names to himself.

Emmagan straightened from the porthole and John saw that the airlocks had aligned. Someone down the corridor triggered the connection and John watched through the porthole as the airlock extended towards the Hastos.

Emmagan began to check her weapons, as did the rest of the corridor. Subdued sounds of blades being withdrawn and the clicking checks of guns echoed quietly down the corridor. John's hand fell to the energy weapon he had been given, as well as two knives both sheathed up against his back, hanging from his belt with a comforting weight.

"Hastos and Sythus were twins, one male one female," Emmagan said as she worked on securing her weaponry. "They were born into a powerful family with the prospect of a comfortable future. They were intelligent and naturally gifted in all things, but it was their fighting skills that distinguished them above all others." John watched her slide knife after knife back into their secure homes. Outside the light shifted as the two ships linked up, and the reflected light from the planet below was cut off, dimming the light inside the corridor. As John's eyes adjusted he saw the sparkle of the overhead lights shining off the weaponry around him.

"It was said that the ancient gods themselves were impressed by the twins' skills and so one day they called them up to live among their number, in the celestial home of the gods. There they had every whim satisfied and a full eternal life to enjoy. The twins lived happily enough," Emmagan continued and though she was speaking softly, her voice carried down the corridor. "Until a time came when, out of idle curiosity, they turned their attention back to the world they had left behind. There they saw the horror the Wraith had wrought upon their once powerful family. All of their friends and family had been killed or chased from their homes in fear as the planet had been ravaged by Wraith culling. Hastos and Sythus asked the gods to help, but were told that it was not for them to be concerned about any further. Humans lived their lives as they should and no god should interfere in that life.

"Hastos and Sythus disagreed and wished to return to the human world, but the gods would not allow it. However, the twins possessed powers of their own, from their birth and from those gifted to them in the celestial heavens. They waited until the right moment and broke free from their eternal home and returned to their people, carrying with them the stolen gifts of the gods."

The shoulders of the Elite filling the corridor appeared to have grown wider around John, as if the story itself were a preparation filling them with confidence.

"Hastos and Sythus declared war on the Wraith. They forged out into the stars and battled against them, using what they had stolen from the gods to destroy as many Wraith as they could."

"I'm guessing the gods didn't approve?" John asked getting that sinking feeling you got when you were watching a movie and your favourite character walked off alone down a dark alleyway.

"No they did not. The gods struck at Hastos and Sythus, but gifted as the twins were they resisted and battled on two fronts; against the Wraith and against their own gods. The gods won."

John glanced out of the porthole at the dark metallic hull of the Hastos pressed so close to the porthole.

"But, the actions of Hastos and Sythus had forever changed their people. No longer would they sit back and allow the Wraith to kill indiscriminately. Since that day no one ever believed again that they were destined simply to be the cattle of the Wraith. We will not allow our families, our children and our worlds to be terrorised. It is possible to fight and to win over the darkness." She looked over her shoulder at John and he saw the same determination in her eyes that saturated the atmosphere around him. "The Elite were formed in honour of the twins by the first few that had followed them into battle." She smiled then, abruptly changing the atmosphere. "At least, that is what legend says." To her left Si snorted out a chuckle of agreement.

John narrowed his eyes at them, wondering if they had been teasing him, but Emmagan's smile softened to a grim one as she turned her attention back to her weaponry. She pulled out her stunner as up the corridor the background hissing of the airlock stopped abruptly; it was time.

John reached down to his hip and pulled out his own stunner. He checked, for the hundredth time it felt, that it was indeed set on 'stun' and not 'kill'. Red was for kill; the universal language of humans, the colour of blood.

"Don't shoot any of us with that," Oneakka muttered from John's left.

"I'll try not to," John replied sarcastically "but, I can't make any promises."

Oneakka snorted as he adjusted his long curved knife set against his right thigh and pulled out two stunners, holding them ready, one in each hand.

A light flashed above the airlock up ahead at which someone jabbed a button and the airlock hatch slid open.

As one unit the Elite moved forward with a unity of step that threw John off for a moment. Everything was silent as they moved, not one scuff of a boot, or heavy breath. John wrapped both his hands around the butt of his stunner and followed closely behind Emmagan. The shape of her scabbards stood out through the dim light of the airlock as they moved out of the Sythus and into the Hastos.

The corridor on the other side was pretty much identical to the Sythus as John followed Emmagan out into it. The emergency lighting was a pale grey colour coating everything with a ghostly affect, painting only darker shadows over the Elite around John.

There was a series of rapid hand gestures from a female Elite and in response the Elite split up into their pre-arrange groups. John and Emmagan had been teamed up with Halling and Oneakka, which John wasn't too upset about. Emmagan led the way for their small group, leading them on their mission to check out the two lone life signs near the damaged engine room. The other two groups split off to seek out the two other clusters of life signs.

John stuck to Emmagan's heels, Oneakka and Halling taking up the rear. Emmagan moved swiftly and silently, her stunner leading the way. Each time they reached a corner or open hatch she and the others moved as a well oiled machine to check and cover every possible avenue of attack. John found himself easily falling into place with their techniques. After they had gone through that routine a few times John was aware that Oneakka had pulled back slightly, no longer brushing the backs of John's heels as he walked. John guessed he had proven he was capable of watching their asses with the rest of them.

"Team One," a voice called out over the small radio device set around John's ear, which was very similar to the ones they used on Atlantis, except that it fitted more comfortably around his ear. Emmagan paused as she tapped her ear piece to open the communications.

"Team One," she responded in a whispered voice, as they all paused, holding guard around each other.

"One life sign is moving away from the engine section now," the disembodied voice reported.

"Which way is it going?" Emmagan asked.

"At present it is moving across to the other side of the vessel through the corridors on the same level."

"Have you been able to count life signs yet?" Halling asked.

"We are reading a total of twenty one life signs," the voice replied.

John watched Emmagan exchange a grim look with Halling and he guessed that was a considerably lower number than were normally stationed on the Hastos.

"Understood. Keep tracking the moving life sign. We will continue to the engine section," Halling said softly over the connection before he disconnected and they began moving down the corridor again.

"Shouldn't we go after the moving signal?" John whispered to Emmagan's back as they headed down the long out lining corridor that mirrored the one on the Sythus.

"If there has been sabotage then we must secure the engine sections. If the other signal moves too close to any vital stations the Sythus will inform us," Emmagan whispered back.

They reached the now familiar lift doors, but Emmagan moved to a large panel set by the door and pulled it away to reveal a ladder. John peered down the long shaft as Emmagan climbed in and began to descend the ladder. He followed her, pausing only to look upwards to see that the ladder disappeared up into the gloom above him. Emmagan stopped her descent about four levels down, stepping off the ladder into a small alcove on the inside of the panel she would have to open. She waited until John reached the level with her, and he crowded in beside her in the alcove. He pointed the barrel of his stunner up and ready as she eased the panel out into the corridor. Nothing moved, so she stuck her head out and then moved quickly out. John followed immediately taking up position to guard her back, as they waited for the other two to get down and out into the corridor. Halling and Oneakka pulled themselves out of the panel space with surprising speed and grace for such large men.

All in place they headed off down the corridor, once again following Emmagan. They reached the first corner, but already John could tell they had hit the right level. There were several large burn marks across two walls and as they peered around the corner, there were even more. There had been a fire fight here and the smell in the air suggested it hadn't been that long ago. A short piece of corridor led to another corner at which they found three dead bodies, all shot with high powered energy weapons by the looks of the burn marks. Oddly two of them were slaves. The third was dressed like an Elite warrior. Oneakka swore quietly as he crouched down by their fallen comrade.

John watched the man reach down and lay one hand on the fallen male warrior's burnt chest. After a moment Oneakka pulled out a small knife from the warrior's belt and John watched him slid it into his own belt with a contained look of anger and sorrow. It was always hard losing people, especially if they became more than just 'people you worked with' becoming friends. John caught himself thinking back to the siege of Atlantis only months ago. They had lost a lot of good people, but it had been the loss of Elizabeth that had hurt them all the most.

Halling stepped forward, a small hand scanner lighting his face in a green glow amidst the emergency lighting. "One life sign up ahead in the control room," he whispered. Oneakka stood up abruptly, his face struggling to express all the forcefully emotions he was clearly feeling.

Emmagan flowed forward, Oneakka keeping his place despite his fury. It was clear to John had they had reached the site of the engine explosion, as the corridor up ahead had a heavy emergency bulkhead blocking it, but there was an open doorway just this side of it. Halling indicated the room and the four of them performed their routine checking around the doorway.

There were several burned and bloodied bodies inside, most of them slaves John noted again. He began to wonder if there had been some sort of slave revolt. In the centre of the mass, near a broken flashing console lay an Elite warrior. Her laboured breathing sounded loud through the small room. Emmagan rushed through the bodies towards the woman, Oneakka pushing past John to join her. Halling stepped forward with his scanner, so John took up position at the door.

Emmagan and Halling crouched down on either side of the woman, Oneakka standing over her. John heard the woman gasp as she saw them and he looked over quickly to see a blood covered hand reaching up to Emmagan.

"Mera, what has happened here?" Emmagan asked softly. John didn't need to see the screen of Halling's scanner to know that it was a miracle the woman was still alive.

"Emmagan?" A weak voice asked with a gut wrenching mixture of pain and hope.

"Yes, Mera, it is me. What happened?"

Oneakka stalked away from the fallen warrior and John looked away, keeping his attention on their six and besides he could hear everything across the small room that had seen the end of so many.

"Looks like the over load was issued from this console," Oneakka reported.

"Yes, it was the…only way I…to stop…" Mera gasped loudly.

"To stop firing on the Sythus?" Emmagan asked.

"Yes…and to stop…him."

The atmosphere shifted a little colder.

"Him? Who is responsible for this?" Emmagan pushed.

Mera groaned before she began coughing. There was a shuffling of movement from inside the room, but John kept his eyes on the corridor. Now he knew for sure that there someone to blame for all this, he wasn't going to let his guard down. They might be on board, most likely the lone life sign.

"This will help with the pain, Mera," Halling said softly. A few moments passed before Mera began talking again and this time her voice sounded slightly less pain filled.

"He tricked us…shut the others away during late meal…locked…inside."

"Who was it?" Oneakka demanded with as gentle a voice as John guessed he could manage. "Was it Breack?" There was no reply and John looked round to see the dying woman was nodding. Oneakka cursed loudly. "I told you we should have killed him!"

"I am…to blame…" Mera said. "I be…believed him."

"He is part of the Elite; we trust one another," Emmagan whispered, supplying their colleague with an explanation and excuse. "You could not have known."

"This will be Iketani's doing," Oneakka spat out as he began to pace around the room, peering down at each of the dead in the room.

"He…said nothing…about her…"

"Two of these were his slaves," Oneakka reported, "but this one belongs to Massa I think."

"…several slaves helped…him. All his…really I think," Mera's voice was growing weaker, her breathing growing more shallow and rapid. "You must stop him!" She cried and John looked round briefly to see she had her blood stained hands around Emmagan's arms. "Stop…him…Emmag…Kill," Mera voice died away with a last gasping breath. There was a light thud as the woman's head hit the floor, her hands drooping down from Emmagan.

"The other single life sign is moving up the vessel," Halling reported quietly from his scanner. "It is almost out of range of my scanner."

"Where does he think he can go to escape us?" Oneakka demanded to the room at large.

"He might not know that Mera lived long enough to tell us of his betrayal," Emmagan said carefully as she stood up. John's radio buzzed lightly in his ear indicating she had activated the radio links. "All Elite, alert code. Transfer to secure channel." John hastily pulled out the small device clipped to the inside of his jacket collar and switched the tiny button that locked the radio into the prearranged secure channel. Emmagan's voice echoed in his ear, but it didn't matter as she was only a few feet away from him. "We have one Elite traitor; Breack. He is responsible for Mera and Tyhm's deaths, as well as for firing on us. We suspect he is the lone life sign moving through the ship. Check in your positions and situations."

"This is Team Two," Si's heavy voice rebounded immediately. John could hear the shock and anger in the man's voice. "We are currently cutting our way through the sealed Canteen hatchway. The controls are burned shut and the manual release has been disabled. We should be inside in two minutes."

"Breack trapped most of the Elite in there last night. The other trapped group are presumably the slaves and other crew."

"That would make sense. I am pretty sure I can hear Massa swearing through the door," Si added with a touch of grim amusement. "He will not be happy when he is free."

"Especially when he learns of Mera's fate," Halling added sadly.

"Team Three?" Emmagan asked over the air waves.

"We are similarly cutting through a sealed door to a crew quarters room in which we estimate to be at least fourteen people," an Elite female voice reported that John recognised as the stern woman; he really should learn her name.

"Then we will track the life sign," Oneakka stated as he strode across the room towards the doorway. John stepped out of the way, not wanting to block so much angry muscle and besides it wasn't his place to curb in the guy.

"Oneakka," Halling called quietly as he followed. John waited for Emmagan to leave the room ahead of him and then followed the three Elite away from the control room. They reached the corner again with the other dead Elite warrior and John could feel Oneakka's anger increasing.

"Where is Breack going?" Oneakka demanded.

Halling reached his side and looked at his scanner. "He is moving up a ladder still, I would say up to the central station level." That brought out a worrying thought and as a unit the three Elite all started forward rushing down the corridor heading across the ship. John hurried after them, keeping his duties at the back going. There might not be any life signs behind them, but John had been snuck up on far too many times to take that for granted.

They reached another lift and the panel beside it was already open, with one dead slave lying in front of it. Oneakka rushed up the ladder and the others followed quickly. John followed the Elite up the ladder, their boots ringing out above him, working hard to keep up with their pace. In his mind he tried to estimate where he was in relation to the bridge; that was if the Hastos' layout was the same as the Sythus. He guessed this Breack, if it was him, would have enough time to reach the bridge before they got up to the right level.

"We can not know for sure that the life sign is Breack," Halling was saying from above.

"Anyone else would have contacted us before now," Emmagan replied and John was more than a little pleased to hear that they were a little out of breath as well.

"It's him," Oneakka spat out from above.

The ship abruptly shuddered and John gripped onto the ladder tightly. He looked up at Emmagan's boots a good six rungs above him and saw that she had a secure hold. "What was that?" John asked.

"Teams, Hastos is firing its emergency power in its one engine, we are being pulled with it," someone reported from the Sythus.

Oneakka growled from above and John could see him hurrying his climbing up the shaft. Judging by the lone light source above, that presumably had to be the open hatch on the bridge level, Oneakka was almost there.

"Hastos is emitting a signal," Sythus reported.

"What signal?" Si demanded over the radio. Judging from the sounds behind him they had cut through the canteen door and indeed the Elite behind it did not sound impressed.

"It was a flash broadcast through subspace, we are analysing it now," the Sythus crew reported.

"We have freed the Hastos Elite," Si reported.

"Get them back to the Sythus," Emmagan reported, "Breack may be attempting to damage the ship." On cue the ship shuddered again and there was a brief moment when the gravity shifted. John stopped his climb to take a breath, but fortunately the inertial dampeners had kicked back in, so he climbed onwards.

"We will capture that traitor ourselves," a heavy loud male voice reported over the radio.

"Massa, you must get your people out of here," Emmagan replied, but there wasn't much conviction in her voice. Above them Oneakka had reached the bridge level and had disappeared out of the shaft. John hurried to keep up as Halling disappeared as well.

"We have freed the slaves and crew," stern woman's voice reported, "We will get them to the Sythus."

"Be advised, Mera reported that several slaves assisted Breack. Not all of those slaves may be loyal," Halling warned.

"They will be kept under guard for now," the woman responded.

Emmagan had left the shaft and John took another moment to reach it. Emmagan and Halling reached in and assisted him quickly out through the panel. John nodded his thanks, seeing that Oneakka was halfway down the corridor already and looking impatient.

They headed down the corridor at a fast pace. Halling kept checking his scanner, as apparently the life sign hadn't moved. The ship shuddered repeatedly under them as they all cautiously ran down the hallway until they reached the bridge, only to find, unsurprisingly, the hatchway shut. Oneakka shoved his shoulder against it, as if pure aggression alone would open it for him. That didn't work so he set to work on the controls beside it.

"He has sealed the controls."

"Let me," Halling replied as he ripped a narrow panel off the wall and began pulling out cables.

Behind them there was the sound of heavy feet and John turned, weapon raised as Nalla and an unknown Elite man arrived around the corner. John lowered his weapon and turned back to the locked door.

"Si and Jobrill are at the other door," Nalla reported as she reached their side.

Emmagan looked round at them. "Massa is returning to the Sythus?"

"Yes, he is collecting Mera's body on the way," Nalla replied as she pushed past them, reaching for the door and bizarrely she pressed herself flat up against it.

"It is Breack," Nalla announced after a moment, "I recognise the emotional configuration."

Halling muttered as he cut through several wires creating a few bright sparks.

"He is worried…" Nalla added.

"He better be," Oneakka growled.

"But he is also…there is anticipation. He is waiting for something."

"He may have called in support," Emmagan suggested, "With that broadcast he sent out."

"Or he is waiting to break away from Sythus," the new Elite member added.

"Sythus, status?" Emmagan asked over the radio.

"We are easily matching Hastos' course changes now as we have latched on two clamps."

Halling hissed as he reached into the panel again, his arm disappearing up to his shoulder. "He has deactivated most of these. If I can reach…"

The ship shuddered violently this time and all of them staggered to keep on their feet.

"Hastos!" The Sythus crew member reported with alarm in their voice. "A Wraith cruiser has jumped in out of hyperspace!"

"They have crossed the border!" Nalla gasped.

"He called them here!" Oneakka shouted at the closed door. "Open it Halling!"

"No Elite would willingly bring Wraith into our space!" Nalla replied.

"They are firing on us," the Sythus reported before the ship shook again.

-------  
TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Part**: 11/?

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John staggered against the hallway wall, his shoulder slamming into a corner of something that would leave a lovely bruise tomorrow; if he survived that long. "We need to get off this ship," he shouted to Emmagan over the shaking.

"Hastos, we are taking direct fire," a voice shouted over the radio from the Sythus, possibly Kanaan.

"Kari, have you reached the airlock?" Emmagan shouted back.

"Yes, all are accounted for," replied the stern woman, who finally had a name for John to file away, he hoped he lived long enough to apply it.

"Get all of your team off the ship and disengage from the Hastos."

"We will all leave together. You must get to the airlock," Kari replied sharply.

"There is not enough time. Sythus must pull away to engage properly with the Wraith or we will all be killed in space," Emmagan argued back. "We have lost enough Elite this day."

The Hastos shook again and John pressed his back into the wall and spread his boots to keep upright, one hand against Emmagan's shoulder to help her keep upright. The ship lurched to the left and John watched the male Elite across the corridor slam into the far wall who muttered some choice words as he picked himself back upright. Emmagan pressed back against John's hand and he realised that she was helping him to keep upright as much as he was for her.

"We're not leaving this ship without that scum!" Oneakka shouted over the burst of sparks down the corridor as the ship shook again.

Halling let out a grunt of triumph and abruptly the hatch door slid open. Oneakka was through it before it was fully open.

"Stun setting only!" Emmagan shouted, but John wasn't sure if it was in time. There was a barrage of firing from the other side of the door as Nalla, Halling and then Emmagan followed Oneakka. John kept back slightly, knowing this was a personal battle for the Elite. He crouched low as he reached the hatchway, aware of shouting over the radio that spoke of fires on Sythus, which was apparently taking most of the Wraith fire. With them tethered to the Hastos they were in trouble.

He poked his head through the hatchway to see Oneakka and Halling running down the bridge and throwing themselves on a man at the far end, who had been hunched over a console hurriedly working away. There was shouting and swearing as the Elite fought, but John's attention was drawn to the large porthole to his left beyond the pilot seats. He checked to the right that there was no serious threat from the traitorous Breack and headed left towards the pilot seats.

The screens beside the large front porthole displayed the Wraith cruiser and the Sythus, that John could see was only now detaching away from the Hastos as ordered. Large flashing dots on the two ships displayed suggested that at least the Wraith were taking some fire.

"Hastos weapons are unresponsive," Nalla shouted from behind over the sound of more sparks. "We have no way to defend the ship."

John moved straight to the nearest pilot seat and dropped down into it. The controls looked basic enough and without asking for permission he pressed his hands over the two circular displays. They lit up under his palms and two small screens flashed to life on the console. He couldn't read the language, but the handy flashing red graph told him quite clearly that they were barely at half power.

From the back of the bridge John could hear that the fight against Breack was still ongoing; apparently the traitorous Elite was trying to escape by suicide now, but was pinned down. Problem was that limited Oneakka and Halling's use. Halling shouted over the radio to Si and Jobrill that one bridge doorway was open. Hopefully they would arrive in a few minutes to help.

"Why is the emergency power not feeding the weapons?" Emmagan demanded.

"There appears to be a command block in place; either Mera at first, or Breack," Nalla explained. "We need that reversed."

"I will do it," the extra male Elite replied and John heard panels being pulled away from the wall just behind him.

John however was busy studying the new display that had activated by his right arm; showing the planet, the Wraith ship and the Sythus locked in a worryingly close dance. The Sythus had moved between the Hastos and the Wraith ship. John took a breath and moved his hands over the controls in hopefully the right way against the console. The ship shifted sluggishly, presumably because of the lack of power, but it moved as he had wanted it to. He looked up at the porthole ahead preferring instinctively to be able to see what was going on around him. The Wraith cruiser came into view, its flashing weapons impacting into the Sythus. Bursts of return fire blasted from the Sythus, creating clear explosions on the cruiser's hull. John looked down again at the display beside him.

"Sheppard, headset by your right leg," Si's voice echoed out from behind, heralding his arrival on the bridge. John looked down by his leg and saw a headset with a clear visor attached. He lifted his hands from the controls quickly and reached for the headset. He slid it into place and the transparent visor abruptly dropped to cover his eyes. A semi translucent display appeared in front of him creating the sensation of being surrounded by the actual events occurring outside. He had his own movie screen to view the action outside the ship. It was like having a clear canopy around him and he dropped his hands back onto the controls and the ship responded to the shift of his hands over the controls. He smiled in delight at the display until he saw the flash of light heading directly towards the Hastos.

"Incoming weapons fire," Nalla reported from behind.

John shifted the ship, tilting it abruptly to the left. "Hold on people," John warned, unsure if it was going to work.

The Hastos shuddered under his sudden direction change and the weapons fire impacted, but it certainly wasn't a direct hit as it ordinary would have been.

"We have another hyperspace window opening," Emmagan announced.

John saw the flash of light on his surround display and he dropped his focus to the display by his right arm. The shape of the Wraith cruiser was obvious as it arrived.

"Another Wraith cruiser," Emmagan reported.

"Try the weapons now," the male Elite said.

"I have re-established auxiliary power," the new female Elite, Jobrill, reported from the back of the bridge.

"Weapons and auxiliary power responding," Nalla replied. John felt the surge of the power as he put the ship through another manoeuvre, keeping with the Sythus, the two ships creating a united front against the two cruisers attempting to encircle them.

"Firing on cruisers," Si stated and John saw the flashes of light as the weapons fired out at the two cruisers. John turned the nose of the Hastos towards the second cruiser and powered forward lining up a perfect shot for Si, who saw the opportunity and fired repeatedly. John turned sharply before he got too close to the cruiser and turned 'up', as it was to him, directing the Hastos over the cruiser. Si kept up the firing causing damage along the hull of the Wraith ship.

"Send out a call to the fleet," Emmagan was saying from behind. "We require back up forces."

"The fleet's plan may have already been compromised anyway," Nalla replied.

"Sending message out on secure subspace channels," Jobrill said.

The Hastos shuddered again, the Wraith cruiser having brushed off most of their attack and turning on them. "These cruisers are built more like Hive ships," Si muttered. "We are damaging them, but not enough."

"Hastos, we are close to losing our second engine," Kari's voice echoed out through the radio from the Sythus.

John felt someone step down behind him, felt the weight of a hand on the back of his chair and from the gentle flowery smell he knew it was Emmagan. "Take us into the planet's atmosphere," she said calmly. John didn't argue, only turned the ship into as sharp a descent towards the planet as he dared.

"Sythus, orbital descent; let us take this battle down," Emmagan called out to the Sythus.

John's display showed that the Sythus was heading in alongside him. He kept his eyes on his displays, getting into the feel of the ship's systems. "As I understand it Wraith ships are fully capable of entering atmospheres," John said conversationally to Emmagan.

"The reason we chose this planet to convene was not only its close position to the border and the target, but there is a strong magnetic radiation emitted from the planet which obscures scans and limits transmissions. The radiation increases in the atmosphere."

The ship vibrated under John and he felt Emmagan stabilise herself against his chair.

"They have launched their small fighters," Si reported.

"Good," Emmagan replied.

"Darts are good?" John asked with a half smile as he took in all the new tiny dots on his rear display.

"Darts? I like it," Jobrill said as she arrived at the second front console alongside John's. "I will scan the planet surface for the old base."

"There's a base on the planet?" John asked.

"There used to be one when the border was considerably closer. However once the area was made safe from Wraith we abandoned it since long term exposure to the radiation here can be damaging," Emmagan replied.

"How damaging?" John asked

He heard the smile to her voice. "We have nothing to fear for now."

"Ok," John replied trying not to sound sarcastic. "Crap!" He muttered as the darts abruptly began to close their distance. The ship shuddered with weapons fire.

"They are targeting all their fire on the remaining engine," Nalla reported.

"Take them all out," Oneakka stated aggressively from the back of the bridge. John realised he couldn't hear any more fighting or insults from Breack in the back. Presumably the guy had been stunned finally or perhaps knocked out in a more old fashioned manner.

"Firing," Si replied. "I need someone else on weapons with me."

The darts on John's screen began to disappear in flashes of energy as the Hastos weapons made short work of them.

"More fighters are following us. They are increasing speed," Nalla added confirming what John had already seen on his displays. "They may be attempting to ram into us."

John adjusted the angle of the Hastos' descent, but that allowed some darts to finally make their way between the two Elite ships. John had the urge to ram them back, crushing the Wraith between him and the Sythus, but that would cause far too much damage to everyone. He still shifted the Hastos closer, threatening the darts and a few pulled back. A light began flashing repeatedly in front of John telling him that something very important and no doubt dangerous was happening. He scanned over his displays to find the reason. "We're almost through the atmosphere," John called out. "The ground is coming up fast, I need to pull up."

"We need to get through the cloud layer before we pull up," Emmagan told him from his side.

John looked at the almost impenetrable thick cloud out through the front porthole. "Please tell me it ends soon."

"The radiation is concentrated in the cloud layers. If we get below it we will have the most protection from the cruisers above. They will no longer be able to locate us from orbit," she replied calmly.

John kept the Hastos' nose downwards, against all his training, and held out for as long as possible wishing he could stop that light from flashing so much. He waited an extra moment longer than he should and then reduced power on the engine. "We'll be through in a second, I'm cutting engine power," he called out. No one questioned him, but maybe it was just that they couldn't hear him over the shaking from the weapons fire. The large shadow of darts right behind the tail of the Hastos was so thick that there were no longer any individual darts identified, just one large swarm.

John cut engine power and his stomach felt the change. The swarm behind suddenly were almost against the Hastos' backside.

"They will impact us in seconds," Nalla shouted.

John saw the clouds part on the edge of his visor display and pulled the nose of the Hastos up in a move that would have killed all inside the ship if the Hastos had been of Earth design. The nose pulled up and he slammed all power back into the engine at the fullest power they had. Everyone's stomachs lurched again. The ground was suddenly in full view as the clouds parted and John pulled up the nose a little more, skimming Hastos' belly over the top of the trees below. A massive explosion behind them blanked out all the sensor screens for a moment and shoved against the back of the ship. John tried to resist the natural forces at work on the Hastos, controlling the nose and pulling up to avoid the fast approaching mountain up ahead.

"Half of the fighters were not able to pull up in time, they have impacted the planet surface," Halling reported from the very back of the bridge. "We still have at least twenty after us." John could hear the tension in the man's voice, as everyone was no doubt staring out at the mountain fast filling the front view. John reduced power and pulled up further and the sky appeared alongside the craggy edge of the mountainside. On the displays around him John saw the darts pulling back, a couple impacting with each other in their haste. The Hastos crested the top of the mountainside and John waited a beat longer than he would with a chopper, allowing time for the bulk of the Hastos to clear the mountaintop, then he pivoted over the top and powered the Hastos down into the wide open valley beyond. He heard a few muttering gasping words behind him.

He powered ahead even faster, working to gain the Hastos every inch of space he could away from the darts. Si was firing again, easily picking out the darts with their higher positions, no doubt from which they had been expecting to see the Elite ship hit the mountain.

"You were not exaggerating when you said you were a good pilot," Si called out from down the bridge and John had to smile at the compliment, especially as the big guy sounded a little out of breath as he worked to take down all the remaining darts.

"All the fighters have been eliminated. The radiation cover is protecting us, but we are unable to detect the Sythus through it," Nalla reported.

John changed their course slightly working not to create a nice straight line for the Wraith to estimate their position through the clouds. The wide valley below them was filled with forest, broken up occasionally with large rocky areas. John looked up at the heavy layer of thick cloud hanging above it all. He saw the hole that opened in the cloud layer just before the Sythus appeared. It dropped into view, pulling up tightly as John had done, but it took them slightly more time, the move slightly sluggish as if they were battling their own engines. Darts powered through the gap after the ship, firing repeatedly, but holding further back than those that had tried to ram the Hastos. These kept tight to the back of the Sythus, firing clearly precise organised firing.

John focused on sweeping the Hastos round in a wide arch from the Sythus' path, giving the Si plenty of time to target the darts. Lights flared out from the Hastos' sides and the darts began exploding in bright bursts of burning debris. However, the hole in the clouds through which the ships had arrived had not closed up, and through it John saw the descending belly of a Wraith cruiser.

"Fire on target," someone was shouting.

"Sheppard, get us away from here as fast as possible," Emmagan shouted. He didn't need a clearer order than that. He picked the best direction and floored it with everything the shaking ship had, the cruiser's weapons already impacting heavily on them. The landscape blurred by and he lifted the ship only enough to skim over the tips of the mountain on the other side of the wide valley and then out across a wide forest that went on for as far as the eye could see. The ship shook and vibrated with more and more shots, the Wraith clearly no longer caring about just targeting the engine. John performed evasive manoeuvres as best as he could with the struggling Hastos.

"The cruiser is pursuing us," Nalla shouted over sparks and the clatter of wall panels falling free. "Fighters are following the Sythus, which is leaving our scanner range in this radiation."

"Should I take us back towards them?" John asked as he twisted the Hastos to one side and back in a diagonal pattern, trying to be as difficult a target to hit as possible.

"No, they will have changed course. We have no way of knowing their location," Emmagan replied, one of her hands falling against the pilot console to steady herself.

The Hastos shook violently again. "We have two hull breaches near the engine. I think they are trying to sever away the engine," Nalla supplied with shock in her voice.

"Keep us going as fast as you can," Emmagan told John. "The cruisers are slow in atmosphere pursuits."

John nodded powering forward as much as he could, focusing now on speed rather than evasive flashiness. Another annoying light began flashing on his console. He looked down at it as a new helpful display appeared. "I think I'm losing some thrusters," he reported and shifted the ship to test the theory and indeed the back port side of the ship responded slower than the rest, forcing John to alter his piloting to compensate.

"Jobrill?" Emmagan asked the Elite in the seat beyond John. The woman was tapping away on the console in front of her.

"Two thrusters have reduced power. The hull breaches in those sections may be responsible."

"Weapons have reduced power," Si called out just to help matters. The ship was slammed again with a nice direct shot from the cruiser bearing down on them.

"I have an idea," John told Emmagan as he lifted the Hastos up and backwards, heading back up into the cloud layer above them. John had a brief image of the Wraith cruiser as the Hastos pulled up ahead of it, flying up and into the clouds. The cruiser reminded John of an iceberg; only one third of it was visible through the clouds. He reduced speed as he looped the Hastos up into and through the cloud layer, up and backwards towards the cruiser. The weapon impacts ceased, the Wraith no doubt struggling to track the sudden move into the radiation dense clouds.

The Hastos began to reach the top of its loop, its belly up towards space high and unseen through the atmosphere. The artificial gravity of the Hastos struggled against the move, but once the Hastos reached the top point of the loop John twisted it round, feeling the ship shake and groan with the strain, but it kept together. John 'righted' the ship and aimed it back towards the Wraith cruiser. Flying through the thick clouds he was navigating by scanner readings only, which flickered in and out with static filled readings. But, John had an excellent sense of direction and in his mind he knew where he was in relation to the cruiser and the flashes of half sensor readings only helped to confirm where he was and allowed him to make the subtle course corrections that were needed.

The clouds parted through the porthole and the dark lumpy hull of the Wraith cruiser was suddenly a very real mountain amongst the clouds. Someone swore, but the Hastos was already shooting past the Wraith iceberg; the Hastos having now flown completely back up and over the cruiser. John twisted the ship downwards now following the hull of the Wraith ship back down towards the valley below, only to skim away from the cruiser just as the clouds began to thin. He powered full throttle into speeding away from the cruiser.

"Give everything we have to the engine," Emmagan shouted as the ship began shaking around them.

The mountaintop that they had almost hit earlier was just visible through the thin lower levels of the cloud layer and John used the reference to drop down out of the cloud layer and followed the edge of the mountain range. A few more shakes from weapons fire shook the ship, but they were dying away.

"We are pulling away from the cruiser," Halling called out. "They are turning to pursue, but it is taking them time. We need more engine power."

"I am diverting all non essential systems to the engines," Jobrill responded.

The graph on John's display changed only a fraction. "I need more," John pointed out as he dropped down into a new valley, lowering down to skim the tree tops.

"I give any more and we will drain the repair systems that are keeping the ship in the air," Nalla argued back.

"The Hastos is failing," Halling stated. "The only option we have is to get as far away from the cruiser to land the ship and hide from their sensors."

The ship shook again, the backside of the ship dropping from John's control abruptly. "The engine is beginning to fail!" Nalla reported, making the previous discussion rather redundant. "I am reading a growing leakage. The precision of the fighter's weapons fire has drilled a space into the fuel lines. We can not repair that from here, if at all."

"They seem to have learnt a lot about our ship suddenly," Jobrill muttered with suspicion.

"We need to land the ship," Halling called out towards John's back, "before we fall from the sky."

Emmagan moved away from John's side around behind him to Jobrill's side. "Is there anywhere viable?"

"Here, this area is flat enough and the gulley might provide some visual cover from the cruiser," Jobrill replied.

"Send it to Sheppard's screen," Emmagan ordered.

The new display jumped to life to John's left and a new colour appeared on the visor's display of the terrain. John followed the flashing arrow. Emmagan turned from Jobrill's side to John's. "Take us down as tightly as possible, we need to keep our location as concealed as possible."

John nodded, holding back all the possible comments that he could. Instead he focused all his skills and training on what was ahead. The large gulley appeared, its steep edges offering terraced areas that would be his target. Emmagan pointed to the specific terraced areas lit up on the display. "Whichever one is best," she said encouragingly.

The engine power was reducing with each passing moment, making the responsiveness of the ship slower. There was no way this bulk of spaceship would drift down to the terrace if the engine stalled or cut out completely. John reduced the power as much as was safe and pointed the nose towards the terrace, then lifted it, pouring the power into dropping down as quickly as possible, losing as much altitude and speed as he could whilst there was still enough control.

"Engine is failing," Nalla all but shouted over the straining sound of the ship, its shuddering protests as John forced it to his control.

He knew then that there wasn't enough time; the power was almost gone and there was still too much distance across the terrace to make. Then as all the lights in the bridge all dimmed and the entire ship shuddered violently the ship simply dropped from the sky.

With the last flashings of control from the ship John had controlled the nose of the ship, pointing it in towards the terrace that would be their landing strip. Everything went dark as everything cut out, until the emergency lighting flared to dull grey life just in time for John to see the trees rushing towards the front porthole. John turned from the seat, dropping towards the floor, pulling Emmagan down with him. Around him he heard people shouting to do the same. The impacts were rapid and repetitive against the ship as it continued down and in towards the terrace level. John wrapped his arm around Emmagan, pushing her down under him, spreading them down flat onto the floor. He felt her hand pulling on the front of his jacket, pulling him further away from the consoles as they both hit the deck.

The Hastos' belly hit the terrace with a slam, the sound and feel of the dirt and rocks impacting on the front and underside of the ship drumming over the hull. John wondered how tough the front porthole was as he all but kissed the bridge's floor, Emmagan tucked up half under him. He could see the flickering grey light cast over Jobrill beside them and saw her hands swinging up to protect herself as the second console exploded in sparks. Through the burst of sparks John saw a flash of what was outside the front porthole.

Through the thick snapping trees a rock face came into view at the end of the terrace; the solid impenetrable wall would stop the Hastos, whether it wished it or not. Another console exploded in sparks and John shut his eyes against the harsh light, turning his face away, the flowery smell of Emmagan's hair against his nose as he flattened them further against the floor.

----------  
TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Date**: February 2010

**Part**: 12/16

**Note:** Wow, it's been 6 months, but I've finally gotten back to this story and have now completed it. I will post up these final 4 chapters this week.

**NOTE2: **I HIGHLY recommend that you re-read this story from the beginning before starting this chapter, as even I had to remind myself of all the names and details.

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The world around John shook violently, the floor beneath him shuddering and violently thrusting up against him, forcing his breath from his body repeatedly with each impact that shook the ship. Violent screaming sounds of tearing metal screeched through the air, and John had a fleeting vision of the ship being torn open around them like a tin can. Overhead entered a new sound, of rapid violent thuds as the hull was peppered with debris, and multiple explosions of electric sharpness sparked out around the bridge adding to the cacophony of noises and flickering light over his eyelids as around him the alien ship rushed into an inevitable unavoidable crashing stop.

His body crunched up tightly, his side biting sharply with pain against one handle of Emmagan's swords set on her back. He tensed further, waiting for the ship to hit the solid cliff wall ahead, but when it came the final stop did not come from the front of the ship, but from beneath.

The violent juddering impact stopped the ship abruptly beneath him, thrusting the floor up at him with a sudden force that threw him up and away from the carpet and Emmagan. He felt the moment of weightlessness, and he opened his eyes enough to see the floor pass under him, before his bodyweight returned with a vengeance and the floor rushed back up towards him.

He watched in bizarre detail as he instinctively stretched out his forearms and he felt the violent impact of the floor against him palms, the shockwave travelling up his arms, until the rest of his body tumbled down onto the bridge floor. His legs, hip and one shoulder hit the deck and he heard himself grunt loudly, as around him the darkness was filled with bright dying sparks, explosions and cries. Debris rained down on and around him, a heavy weight landing against his back, further refusing him a chance to inhale a full clear lungful of air, and finally it became too much and his vision dimmed into blackness.

Awareness returned to the sound of falling metal and sparking consoles. His mind was confused and muddled for a moment as his body presented its inventory of aches and pains. Something very heavy thudded nearby, the sound echoing around him and finally his mind snapped back into focus and the memories of the latest trouble he had gotten himself into reasserted themselves.

He opened his eyes to the dark functional material of the bridge's carpet and he lifted his head cautiously, feeling small pieces of debris falling off the back of his head and shoulders. He got one elbow under himself and lifted his upper body up from the floor and looked up through the sparks arcing across the bridge to see flickering lights struggling around the dark space, and became aware of new sounds in the air. The Elite were calling to each other and he watched as shadows moved at the far end of the bridge space, moving through the traumatic thorough damage to the alien ship around them.

That they were alive was a miracle in his mind, or else the inertial dampeners on this ship had somehow reactivated despite the lack of power. That cliff had looked like death itself rushing forward to meet them at a speed that should have smeared them all across the front viewport upon impact. The memory of that approaching cliff made him turn, debris and what looked like ceiling panels falling away from his back, as he looked back over his shoulder towards the front viewport. But, instead of crumpled damage he saw only darkness through the viewport and he remembered the impacts from below – the ship hadn't hit the cliff. But, he wondered how close it had been.

A hand suddenly dropped onto his shoulder and he looked round to see Emmagan knelt beside him. Her beautiful features flickered in the struggling power of the consoles in the bridge, but he saw her concerned look and registered that she was speaking to him. He dropped open his jaw, trying to clear his ears from their continuing dull pressure.

"Are you injured?" She asked, her voice suddenly clear.

"No, no, I'm okay," he replied trying to sound as blasé as he could, despite the fact that he had once again somehow cheated death. Some days he had to wonder how many lives he had used up already.

"You did well to land the Hastos so successfully," Emmagan told him.

"Well, you know; anything you can walk away from…" He said with a small smile as he pushed against the littered carpet to sit up onto his knees.

More panelling fell from his back and a sharp blazing pain shot up through his left thigh as he moved. He hissed out a breath as he looked down at his leg to see something small embedded into his thigh. He reached down, with slightly shaky hands, and was immensely relieved when he discovered how small the shard of metal was. He caught the end of it between his fingertips and pulled. He gritted his teeth as the shard came out of his muscle and tissue easily enough, and once it was gone the pain receded. He dropped the bloody piece to the floor and sighed out in relief as Emmagan's hand on his shoulder became heavier as she climbed to her feet beside him. He looked up at her and watched as she brushed herself down, as if she had done nothing more than find a little dust on her coat, and then she was moving away from him.

Behind her Jobrill stood up, dusting random pieces of metal and dust from her arms. One side of her face was scratched up, the shallow marks looked burnt, but she didn't look in pain, only brushed dismissively at her cheek as she followed Emmagan towards the centre of the former bridge.

"Is everyone unharmed?" Halling called out across the room and was instantly responded to by all of the Elite. The last of the still sparking consoles was shut off, dropping the bridge into a darker light once again, but flashlights activated around the space.

"What is our status?" Halling asked next and John decided that his recovery time was over, so he set one hand carefully onto the littered floor and levered himself up onto his feet. He made his way through the wreckage of the pilot seats, consoles and ceiling panels of the bridge to join the meeting gathering around the central display table. None of the Elite looked more banged up than a few scratches or tiny burnt holes in their clothes.

"Are the scanners active at all?" Nalla was asking.

"There are only two power units still functioning, one is intermittent and will not hold. Fire suppression systems are active across the ship, what is left of it," Oneakka stated, his gaze locking with John's over the flickering central screens. John held his gaze, trying not to take what the man said personally.

"Can we divert power to the scanners?" Nalla stated, getting the conversation back on track. The screens set in the central table dimmed, acting as an excuse for John to break his gaze from Oneakka. Halling tapped one screen and the power reasserted itself.

"We are missing large sections of the ship. The lower two decks, including the hangar bay, are entirely absent, so entire systems are broken. There is no way to establish scanners now without rewiring the ship," Halling reported and John tried again not to feel that he was responsible. He had piloted this ship down and they were all damn lucky that they had survived at all.

"It will not matter," Emmagan stated. "We did not get far enough away from the Cruiser – they will find us quickly enough."

"We need to evacuate the Hastos and set the traps for when they find it," the Hastos male Elite who had joined them said. He didn't seem all that upset about leaving his ship behind.

"And go where? They will track us easily enough once they locate the Hastos," Jobrill replied.

Emmagan reached forward and tapped one screen and John peered over her shoulder to see the details she was studying. He couldn't read the words, but the displays showed maps and lines of what could be numbers. Her manner was calm, despite the chaos around them and the frayed nerves of some of her people.

"We are within walking distance of an escape tunnel from the base," she reported and the others looked forward at her screen. "There will be a station along the tunnels from where we will be able to contact the Sythus."

"It is very likely that the base has been compromised," Halling stated and the atmosphere shifted, eyes turning to the back of the bridge where the still unconscious Breack lay. John instead looked at the Elite warriors around the table and saw the anger and betrayal in their faces, and he decided that Breack's actions were probably the source of their agitation. Though a crash upset most people, he suspected these guys had seen their fair share of defeats and unexpected attacks, but betrayal appeared to be new for them. He glanced to Oneakka, whose expression held the most fury, and then to Emmagan. Her face was turned in profile in front of him for a moment longer before she was the first to return her attention to the group and the screens.

"We have no other choice," she pointed out calmly. "If the Wraith are aware of the base's location, they still may be unaware of the satellite stations within the escape tunnel system. We can use the basic equipment there and remain away from the main base if necessary," she added.

"Then we should get moving, they will be on their way," Si added with his deep solemn voice.

"And what of him?" Nalla asked as the others moved to turn away, and they paused, all eyes returning to the slumped Breack.

"We take him with us," Oneakka stated.

"You wish to carry him all the way?" Jobrill asked sarcastically.

"We need to know all that he did," Oneakka replied aggressively. "Who he is working with and how deep this betrayal may go."

"Our survival is what is important now," Jobrill argued.

"The mission is what is important," Si entered the argument loudly.

"The mission is over now, Si," Jobrill replied. "We must focus on surviving this world. The opportunity to kill the target Queen ourselves has passed. We must hope that the fleet break through the Wraith's line and destroy her base with her in it."

John looked back and forward between the strong dominant personalities around the table, the intermittent light of the table shining up over their features made their expressions stark.

"We need to know what he knows," Oneakka all but shouted as he jabbed a finger past the table towards Breack. "And we will carry him all the way to the base if necessary."

"He goes with us then," Emmagan stated. "Though I suspect we already know who he works with," she muttered as she turned from the screens, forcing John to step back to make room for her. Her shoulder brushed against him as she moved past him uncaring about waiting for him to move. He followed after her, keeping close to her shoulder as the other Elite followed her through the rubble of the bridge and through the door back into the corridor.

There was less lighting in the corridors as even the emergency lighting was dimmed and occasionally flickered off and back to life without any rhythm. As they strode through the flickering half darkness, John couldn't help but wish he hadn't taken option three.

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If they had had any concern about him being armed before, that was clearly no longer the case. John wore three stunners, two projectile weapons, three grenades and a small collection of knives. The weight of the new weapons was distributed along his belt, then down two holsters set along his thighs and a new strap across his chest along which the knives and grenades bounced against his body as he walked through another dark corridor. The power units had finally died by the looks of it, but up ahead sunlight broke into the corridor through the open airlock door. The rectangle of natural light felt like a beacon.

Emmagan stepped into that rectangle and disappeared through the airlock's doorway. John followed her, still adjusting the strap around his chest to sit more comfortably, but he stopped abruptly in the exit from the ship as he took in the sight outside.

The ship sat in the massive groove it had dug into the stone plateau, and the edge of that plateau was a good two metres from the airlock. Fortunately someone had laid out a metal plank, which on closer inspection John identified as a former door, and it was all that would support John's weight across the at least ten storey drop below him. He looked down the edge of the former door and saw the littering of broken trees, plants and rocks at the bottom, some caught up against the sides of the ship. The hull of the Hastos had looked pretty intact from the inside, but from here John could see that huge sections of its outer skin had been peeled away. If he fell off the plank of a doorway there would be plenty of torn sharp metal, broken rocks and shredding tree shrapnel to leave some seriously nasty marks as he fell.

A hand landed on his shoulder abruptly and John jumped and only just kept himself from crying out like a girl as he almost lost his footing. It was the oldest teasing joke in the world, that all men across two galaxies seemed to equally find amusing. John turned to Halling's amused smile behind him and tried to see the funny side of it.

"You did good landing the Hastos so successfully," Halling told him, his hand secure on John's shoulder, silently telling him that he would not have let John fall. That didn't help calm John's still adrenaline fuelled heart rate.

"I don't think Oneakka would agree with you," he said as he prepared to walk across the plank to the stone ground of the intact plateau beyond the ship.

Halling's hand left John's shoulder. "At least he is alive to have that view, and I find it wise never to judge any event by how Oneakka views it," he added with an amused smile. Halling seemed the most approachable of all the Elite John had met, even Emmagan, and John decided that Halling was a man he could trust. John missed his team then with a powerful urge. He missed Atlantis, missed having people around him he knew and could rely on. Even Sumner would be welcome right now. Grimacing at his own thought, and how bad it meant things had gotten, John stepped forward over the plank.

The rather thin metal door that was his only support gave slightly under his weight, but held securely and it was with a burst of relief that he strode over it and stepped onto solid ground of the plateau. With real ground under his feet for the first time in days he moved forward through the open area around the ship, towards the broken edge of forest ahead of him. Just inside the tree line he could see the Elite gathering. Emmagan was crouched to one side, tying pieces of wood together, creating a sled or stretcher, which presumably was to carry Breack on. The other Elite stood around, their attention mainly focused on the ship behind him, and as he entered the pale shade of the trees he too looked back.

Even in its current torn and battered state the ship was beautiful to his knowledgeable eye. He felt a burst of regret at seeing the massive, well crafted and amazingly resilient ship lying in its carved out groove of a burial ground. He hoped the Elite would return for it later, recycle its parts if needed, because it would be a serious waste to lose it. His eyes raked along its length, following down the ship's nose to where it was pointed towards the cliff in front of it. John moved to the left, climbing a slight rise within the trees to gain a clearer view of the nose of the ship and he huffed out a stunned and grateful breath to see how close the nose had come to smashing up against that solid cliff face. He estimated there would be just enough space for him to stand between the rather twisted nose of the ship and the cliff. John had never been much of a religious man, having seen too much horror in his life to rely on such feelings and beliefs, but in that moment he could readily believe that something far more powerful than him was looking over him. Maybe it was luck, timing or coincidence, but he and the Elite had been seriously lucky today.

A loud grunt echoed from the hatchway and John looked back to see Oneakka emerge with Breack slung over one shoulder. John watched the big guy stride over the door plank with no sign of any doubt or fear, despite the fact that it now supported the weight of two very large men. The plank held and Oneakka strode to the trees, and John took one last look back towards the nose of the Hastos before heading back to where the Elite were gathered.

Nalla was the last to leave the Hastos and when she had stepped onto the solid ground of the plateau she turned, pulled up one end of the plank and sent the doorway tumbling into the chasm below. John had no doubt that a Wraith could jump the distance between the plateau and open airlock into the ship, but it had been a symbolic act.

As John reached the group Oneakka dropped Breack onto the stretcher Emmagan had finished.

"Is the Hastos prepared?" Jobrill asked Nalla as the purple skinned woman joined them.

"Yes, this is the only working computer left of the Hastos," she replied as she lifted a small handheld device from her belt. "The detonation with destroy the rest of the ship if Wraith tamper with it."

"They know not to tamper with our technology now, it is doubtful they will try," Halling stated.

"It'll certainly be a good warning sign that they're close by," John muttered. He imagined that if the Hastos went up it would take out a seriously large area of the forest with it. Hopefully they wouldn't still be in the area at the time.

Si chuckled next to him. "We will know far sooner if the Wraith try to sneak up upon us," he said.

John looked round at him, aware that he was missing something.

"The closest tunnel station is in this direction and should take us a day to reach," Nalla reported as she studied the small screen of her handheld computer and stretched her other arm out straight pointing out the direction they were to head. From what John had seen from the air and in the map Emmagan had studied earlier up of this area, there would be nothing but forest ahead of them. Two of the Elite carried backpacks filled with their basic food and water supplies and John suspected that if they were going to be rationed out, that he would not be considered a high priority.

Nalla led the way forward, striding out with her computer in her hand. The male from Hastos, Jobrill, Halling and Emmagan followed. John stepped forward to follow, but as he did he passed Oneakka and the large aggressive man stepped into John's path.

"Slave! You will pull the sled," Oneakka ordered as he gestured down to the stretcher on which Breack lay. John looked up into Oneakka's eyes and saw the man's tolerance for anything had been pushed to his limit and John had to wonder if the man's former suspicion of him had returned.

Oneakka stood only an inch or so taller than John, but he held the height with more weight and muscle. John found his attention drawn to the twisted scar down the side of the man's face, the details of the tattoo sweeping around it all the more apparent. Whatever had happened to Oneakka's face had distorted his flesh and cheek more than was clear from a distance. John had to wonder what weapon had been used on him. A man who had gone through that and survived in itself would make a man strong, but the Elite man before John was a killer. He might usually kill Wraith, but that did not detract from the fact that Oneakka was dangerous and his current aggression was focused entirely on John. The last couple of days had made John forget in part the danger of these Elite warriors of the Alliance. The Alliance's military had defeated more Wraith than the Ancients had. The Alliance had carved out their own territory, not giving an inch to the Wraith to the point where the Wraith avoided them. And the Elite were the best of them. Sitting with them eating meals and facing a crash together had lessened that point in John's mind slightly, but it was apparent once more. John wondered if Oneakka had meant to remind him of this.

But, then John had faced his own share of demons and Wraith Queens. Oneakka may be twice, ok more like ten times the fighter he would ever be, but he wasn't a slave to be ordered around. He had just saved Oneakka's ass in that crash and John felt his own ego rise up to the challenge in the man's eyes.

"He is not your slave to give orders to, Oneakka," Emmagan's voice arrived into their tense aggressive staring match.

"Then you order him to," the Elite warrior replied to Emmagan, though his eyes remained locked with John's.

The sound of boots on dirt spoke of her approaching, but when she replied her voice was still a short distance away.

"You know my opinion on this matter," she said with patience.

Oneakka finally broke eye contact with John and looked round to Emmagan, but he remained up close to John, keeping his threat clear. "At least he will be of some use by pulling the sled."

John almost bit the inside of his mouth to stop him from replying to that, but poking Sumner with small jibes was one thing, poking Oneakka right now would be stupid. So, against his usual nature, John kept quiet.

"Yes, he seemed very useless when the Hastos fell from the sky with no power or engines," Emmagan replied, her tone finally hinting at her own anger behind her sarcasm.

"We waste time with this," Si said from just behind John. "Will we stand around and squabble like children when Wraith are hunting us?"

John decided now would be a good time to talk. "I'll _help_ you carry Breack," he offered to Oneakka. The man looked back at him, his eyes narrowed.

"Oneakka," Halling called from up ahead. His voice held the tone only a good friend could use – it held encouragement, admonishment and understanding all at once. Oneakka looked from John down to Breack and nodded as he moved away.

John released the tension he hadn't known he had been holding and he felt his first full breath in minutes. He looked towards Emmagan and she nodded to him before she turned and walked away, following the others once again.

John turned to the stretcher to see Oneakka already stood at the back end of it, one eyebrow lifted in a silent challenge. Clearly Oneakka would be setting the walking speed. John stepped in front of the stretcher and crouched down to grasp the handles. He wished he had kept his mouth shut now, then he stood up, lifting the weight of the stretcher and he wished that even more. Breack's weight lessened slightly as Oneakka took a more solid hold on his end and then the stretcher was bumping into John's backside. Emmagan may have pointed out that Oneakka couldn't order John around, but he was sure going to silently do so through this trek.

John hefted the weight of the stretcher and marched forward, heading towards where Si stood waiting for them.

"How much longer is he going to be asleep for exactly?" John asked Si as he passed him.

Si chuckled. "Hours most likely," he replied. Great, just great.

-------

John didn't like the forest around them. The trees had seemed your usual green leafy variety from above, but walking among the trunks the forest looked very different. The trees stood high overhead, but there was a clear delineation between the green upper canopy and the twisted thick trunks beneath. Each time John passed close to one he studied the thick grey bark of the massive trunks. At first he had thought the tense atmosphere as they walked was due to the tension of the Elite, but as they all followed Nalla and her computer guide, he decided there was something off about the planet.

As they crested a slight rise, he paused for breath. The weight of Breack was getting to him. His arms had been screaming in protest for a long time, and now his back was adding to the mix of aching pain. Oneakka had allowed him to stop twice for some water, but the breaks had been only a minute or two long. The rest of the group had not waited for them, except for Emmagan just ahead and Si taking up the rear of their diamond shaped formation through the forest.

John crouched to set down his end of the stretcher, uncaring if Oneakka was going to protest. As he stood back up he groaned and stretched his back and the pain lessened. He didn't look round at Oneakka, not wanting to see the sneering condescending look he would no doubt give John for needing to stop again so soon. But, John was saved from anymore for suddenly Si was at his side.

"I will take it for a time," Si stated as he basically pushed John aside and reached down for the stretcher. John willing stood back and watched the two men walk forward with the weight seeming nothing to them. He pulled out his water bottle from his belt and drank a small gulp as he followed them, trying not to feel that he was pathetic.

Emmagan stood just below the rise, ready to take up the rear now Si carried Breack in John's place. As he reached her side she fell into step alongside him, surprising him slightly.

"Thanks," he said to her, this having been the first time he had spoken to her since they left the ship.

"Si wished to carry it in your place," she replied, her attention mostly focused on the trees and around them.

"I meant before, against Oneakka," he clarified.

"And once again I will say to you that you may not be as thankful later," she replied and looked back at him. "You are likely to die on this world with us."

"That's positive thinking," John replied with dark humour.

"It is realistic thinking, Sheppard," she replied, though her tone wasn't as harsh as her words. "The life of an Elite, and those who serve with us, is a difficult one."

He set his bottle back into his belt. "You go after Wraith Queens – it's not the most relaxed of jobs," he replied, hoping to lift the mood slightly.

To his surprise she did smile at that, not a large smile, but he saw it. "Not all of our time is dedicated to that pursuit," she replied. He leapt at the offer.

"What do you spend most of your time doing?" He asked as they navigated their way over and around large fallen branches, as before them Si and Oneakka were slowed by the obstacles.

"It is not very common for so many of the Elite to work together. We spend a large amount of our time leading smaller missions with the main Alliance military force."

"Do you guys lead the military?" John asked, pretty sure that wasn't the case from what he had heard so far. Her frown said the rest.

"No, the main Alliance military force is governed by the High Council of the Alliance. They then give orders to the military leaders from each world, who then command their own ships." He glanced at her as she spoke and saw the subtle tells of her opinion on such governance.

"You don't approve of it being done that way," he replied.

"How is Atlantis governed?" She asked glancing back at him.

Normally he would have dodged the question, but since she had already shared and it seemed to be the theme of the day, he replied honestly. "We have an expedition leader who reports to an oversight committee back on our home world."

"They make law on your military decisions?"

"No we have a military leader in Atlantis. He works for the expedition, but also for our military back home."

She made a sound that suggested he had confirmed something for her. "The Alliance is strong, but there is much that needs to be changed for us to become what we wish to be."

John waited for her to add more, but she remained silence, and paused looking up towards the canopy overhead. John stopped and looked up himself, but he couldn't see anything but the weird grey branches and green leaves high overhead. He followed one large branch with his eyes down to the trunk and its thick twisted strange bark.

"It is due to the radiation," Emmagan said and he broke his eyes away from the tree, surprised she had known what he had been thinking. She began walking forward and again and he fell into step with her once more. "The trees have several natural protective layers that safeguard them from long exposure to the radiation."

"But, you said it's safe for us, right?" He asked.

She smiled slightly again and nodded. "We will be fine…for now," she added, with her own touch of teasing and it was his turn to smile now. He liked this woman.

"You said the Elite begin their training at a young age?" He asked, hoping to get the information sharing going again.

"Yes, though it varies as to how young depending on when our skills are noticed. Sometimes they are not recognised until we are older."

"Is that how is was for you?" He asked, hoping he wasn't pushing this new friendship too far.

"Indeed, but some would still consider me young, being only ten yearly cycles when I began my Elite training."

"Ten?!" John asked shocked. "And some start younger?"

"In a few cases, where both parents are Elite themselves, the offspring would be said to start their training from the womb," she replied with amusement, but there was something dark to it. She had said the life of an Elite was a difficult one – he wondered how young they were when the difficulty began. Five or ten years old was very young to live that kind of life, and he wondered how many failed to complete their training.

"That's not much of a childhood," he said weakly.

"No, it is not," she replied as she stopped again and looked up to the sky again. He looked up as well, but again there was nothing to see, so he looked back down to her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"They are growing closer," she replied.

John frowned and looked back up to the canopy, moving to stand right beside her, but even there he couldn't see anything new through the small gaps in the canopy. "Wraith?" He asked.

"Of course," she replied softly. "Always Wraith."

He glanced back to her, now standing closer to her, and frowned at her soft rather sad tone.

"It is a grim day for us, Sheppard," she replied in a quiet private voice. "To be betrayed by one of our own."

John looked off to the trail ahead of them, where he could see Oneakka and Si carrying Breack. "You think we're walking into a trap?" He asked as he looked back at her.

She took a breath and dropped her eyes from the sky to meet his eyes. "I think this trap was sprung long before now, perhaps before we left the marketing station."

John studied her eyes. He didn't really know this woman, but he thought he understood her thinking. "That woman we walked into? Iketani?" He asked. She nodded so subtly that anyone not looking directly at her as he was would have missed it. "She's an Elite as well?" He asked and again she nodded. "That's two of them then."

She sighed as she began walking forward again and he walked beside her, surprised at her sharing with him. "As I said to you before, Sheppard, you may end up wishing that I had not _helped_ you as I have."

John considered that. "As I see it, if you hadn't I would have been _bought_ by someone else far less interesting," he told her. She looked round at his most blatant flirtation yet and she laughed lightly.

"You consider being in a potentially deadly situation as this as 'interesting'?" She asked, but he suspected she had understood his other meaning as well.

"It's hardly been boring," he replied.

She laughed again, her smile wider, filling her face and making her even more beautiful.

"As things go – this isn't all that different from my life back in Atlantis," he informed her.

"But, 'interesting' enough for you though," she added.

"It has its high points," he replied, again taking the opportunity to push in some more flirtation. She didn't look round at him this time, but she was smiling still.

A shout from up ahead broke the nice spell.

"He is waking," Halling called out.

Emmagan broke into a run immediately and John followed to where a circle was forming around the stretcher and its traitorous occupant.

--------

John edged closer to the circle of Elite, their backs to the outside world as they looked down at the man slowly coming around on the stretcher. John moved round until he stood behind Emmagan, and could see over her shoulder into the circle. Nalla crouched down beside the stretcher, waiting along with the rest as Breack groaned again, one eyebrow shifting as he shook off the effects of a stunner and what looked like it had been a brutal punch to his jaw.

The atmosphere of the trees around them had been creepy enough for John, but the tension growing within the circle made everything worse. Facing down Oneakka earlier had been pretty scary – Breack was going to wake up to an entire circle of them, all angry and waiting with demanding questions.

Breack's eyes finally opened and he groaned. Nalla shifted closer, setting one hand on his shoulder in what was a surprisingly soft touch. Breack responded to the gentle touch and fully opened his eyes. John watched the situation register and Breack's eyes widened abruptly. His eyes darted around the group standing over him, then to the trees overhead, and then finally to Nalla crouched by him. The bruise on his jaw looked darker as the blood drained from his face.

"Welcome back, Breack," Halling said. John had always thought Halling to be the most softly spoken and kind of the Elite so far, but his voice now dripped with violent vengeance. Breack struggled to get his elbows under him, but Nalla shifted her touch and caught his throat in a tight grip. Breack stilled and settled back down, Nalla's grip loosening, but remained around his throat.

"If we are where I think we are," Breack said. "Then you are wasting time with this." His voice wavered only briefly with concern, but by the end of his sentence a new confidence appeared in his voice. He had assessed the situation and John could already see him clamming up. John had to wonder if he was right though – were they wasting time with this when they should be getting on to the tunnel station.

"Wasting time on you?" Halling replied sounding surprised. "That would never happen, since you are so special." Breack frowned at the words. "Being the first ever Elite to betray their own," Halling finished the anger clear in his voice.

Breack pursed his lips, the movement breaking open a small cut in his lower lip and a drip of blood dribbled down his chin.

"You will tell us everything you did and why," Halling ordered. "Nalla will make sure all you tell us is truthful." Breack's eyes slid to the empath with her grip around his throat, and then back to Halling.

"I will tell you nothing," Breack stated emphatically.

"He believes that is true," Nalla reported, sounding surprised and she shook her head down at Breack, her grip tightening around his throat.

The rasping sound of a blade being unsheathed filled the air and Breack's eyes shifted to Oneakka stood over his head. John watched pale light glint off Oneakka's sharp knife, and then the flaring of Breack's nostrils as he breathed hard, his mind struggling with his own fear and his intention to keep quiet.

"I played the role I was commanded to and know nothing of consequence to tell you," Breack finally said.

"He lies," Nalla informed them.

In front of John, Emmagan shifted forward, standing by Breack's leg and his eyes turned to her. "Was Iketani behind this?" She asked simply.

Breack licked his lips, smearing some of the blood. "I will not answer that," he replied.

"He felt enough at hearing her name to tell me she is involved," Nalla reported.

Emmagan let out a loud breath and shook her head. "You betrayed us for her?"

"She is one of us," Breack replied.

"No longer will she be," Halling said.

Breack laughed at that, the sound rather manic. "You think you will survive to tell anyone about this? You will all die today, you are just still running from it," he spat.

"Then telling us all you know will change nothing," Emmagan reasoned.

He sneered up at her, his confidence growing. "I am not going to tell you anything and you will waste hours trying to beat it out of me. The Wraith will find you long before that and it will not matter."

A thought occurred to John then and worried him in the light of what Breack said. The more he thought about it, the more it concerned him. "I have a question," he found himself saying out loud. Elite eyes turned to him, most shocked at his interruption.

Emmagan remained looking down at Breack, who was trying to see John around her. "What question?" Emmagan asked.

"If the Wraith know we're here – why haven't they bombed the hell out of the area? From space they could wreck the whole planet's surface. They've done that before haven't they?"

The expressions around the circle changed, several glancing up at the canopy overhead.

"This trap was sprung to kill us, was it not?" Emmagan asked Breack.

"It was," Nalla reported without him even having to answer.

Emmagan looked round at John. "When Wraith kill Elite they like take the body, as evidence that they were successful over one of us. But, if this is a true culling of us, as Breack suggests, then Sheppard's question is valid."

"Then there is something they seek," Jobrill replied. "Most likely it is him," she gestured to Breack.

"Do you please Iketani so well that she wishes to have you back?" Emmagan asked.

"He likes that she does, he feels possessive of her," Nalla reported.

"Really?" Emmagan asked. "Then perhaps we should make sure that you will be of no further value to her." The atmosphere shifted again, a few smiles appearing around the circle.

Breack frowned up at Emmagan. "Killing me will make no difference. Your bodies will serve as evidence that the Wraith are as much of a threat as we have been saying for so long."

"As your body will serve as evidence that you betrayed us," Nalla said from above him, her hand tightening around his throat, forcing his head back against the stretcher.

"You cannot afford to kill me," Breack whispered out around his constricted throat.

Emmagan stepped closer to him. "We never said anything about killing you. You betrayed us, Breack, and so we will decide the punishment. You betrayed us for a woman's bed, so we will cut away that part of you that you prefer over your honour and loyalty. I doubt Iketani will appreciate your value as much without that part of you."

Breack clearly had reached the same conclusion John had and the man finally lost his cool. Everything exploded into action as Breack finally tried to break free, but Nalla and Halling dropped down on one of his arms each. Jobrill and Si dropped down to hold one of his legs down, as Oneakka lifted his knife and moved around the struggling Breack.

John couldn't believe this was going to happen, and stood back unsure if he should do something – what could he do anyway? Were they bluffing? Breack struggled violently, screaming obscenities at them, as Oneakka pulled open the man's trousers, the knife in his teeth, as he bared the man's manhood to the forest air.

"No, no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Breack began shouting. John saw Oneakka's look of disappointment.

Emmagan stepped over Breack, standing astride over him as she had done with John that first time they had met. "Tell us what?" She asked calmly.

"Iketani, all of them, I'll tell you everything," Breack pleaded as he struggled. "I was following my orders, from the High Council." Everyone froze and looked at him with renewed focus, though they kept their weight on his arms and legs.

"What? Speak!" Halling demanded.

Breack stopped his struggling and laid still, panting heavily and he looked up at Emmagan. "Iketani…she shares the bed of several of the High Council. They gave me my orders," he told her.

"It is illegal for them to issue a death warrant," Emmagan said.

"It is not official…" Breack licked his lips still panting, clearly debating how much he should say. Oneakka leant forward and touched the edge of his knife against Breack's groin and the man froze, barely breathing, his eyes wide.

"I recommend you tell us everything, Breack," Emmagan suggested.

"Iketani wants a place on the High Council," he replied.

"No member of the military is to sit on the Council," Halling said.

"That is why she has orchestrated this," Breack replied quickly, clearly looking to please then all now. "For years we have been telling them that the Wraith are still a threat, that we must push out our borders and make sure the Wraith know of our strength."

"So she went as far as to ally herself with a Wraith Queen to prove that point?" Emmagan asked incredulously.

"Yes, she offered to allow that Queen amenity from us, and agreed on an area of systems that the Queen could rule untouched by even the Elite." John saw the looks of disgust around the group. "In return the Queen would add pressure to the border and take out the highest ranking of the Elite when the time was right. Today."

"Then when our bodies are presented as evidence that the Wraith are once again out of control Iketani will step in and offer her services to advise them on all military matters," Emmagan finished.

"She wants to be the sole military leader," Breack replied. "The strength of the Alliance hinges on the military."

"And if she is in sole control of the military then she will use it over the High Council in turn," Halling concluded.

"Nalla?" Oneakka demanded from where he was still leant over Breack's waist.

"He speaks the truth," Nalla reported, her tone that of dismay.

"They will never allow her to rule over the entire High Council," Jobrill protested as she sat back from holding Breack down but he didn't move an inch.

"She will rule them from the bed chamber with favours and threats, as is her way," Emmagan replied scowling down at Breack.

He looked away at that. "The military needs more power," he argued quietly. "Her arguments are valid."

"Her methods are not and you are weak to have been persuaded otherwise. You have brought Wraith into our territory," Emmagan said gesturing up to the sky. "Do you think they will stop with one world? They battle our fleet – how much do they know of that? Did you tell them of its strengths and weaknesses?"

"I only promised to disable the Hastos and Sythus. But, Mera had been watching me and tried to stop me before I could disable the Sythus."

"And so you killed her and Tyhm, and the slaves that assisted you," Emmagan reminded him.

Breack looked away again.

"Why Breack? To share her bed along with so many other men and women? Or did she promise you a position of power? Perhaps with so many Elite killed here she would need a powerful Elite warrior on her side? One so easy to influence and control."

Breack didn't answer, but that was response enough for them. Emmagan sighed heavily and stepped away from the man, as the others let go of him. Oneakka moved to stand up, but then leant forward and sliced a shallow cut over the man's thigh. "That is for Mera." As Breack cried out Oneakka repeated the cut along the top of the other thigh. "And that is for Tyhm."

John winced at the cries and the blood. The cuts were not too deep to be life-threatening, but they would scar, to be the reminders Oneakka planned them to be.

"We need to take him back with us as evidence of all this," Jobrill said as she stood up along with the others. All their violence and vengeance from before had vanished and it unsettled John.

"Only the High Council can hear our plea and his evidence on military matters, and they are those he will name," Si stated.

Emmagan nodded as she looked up to the sky. "That will have to change," she said rather cryptically.

"We will have to be careful and speak with the military leaders first," Halling replied.

"Most of them are with the fleet, or their seconds are," the Hastos male said.

"True, that is if they survive the trap they most likely flew into," Halling replied.

John's attention shifted to Emmagan as she glanced briefly up at the sky again. John looked up as well – the thick cloud cover let just enough light in for it to shine off the leaves above. John had to wonder how close the Wraith were to finding the Hastos – should they really be standing around talking like this?

"We sent a message to the fleet, perhaps our distress signal will warn some of them in time," Nalla suggested as she leant over Breack, cleaning up his cuts with brief efficient movements.

"Look I'm not part of all this," John interrupted the conversation. "But shouldn't we get moving? The Wraith are looking for us, aren't they?" He asked.

Emmagan smiled rather grimly at him. "Yes, and they are almost upon us. There is no time to reach the station now," she replied.

He frowned at her as the others shifted, hands falling to weapons.

"How far out, Emmagan?" Halling demanded.

She looked out through the trees and narrowed her eyes.

"Not far," Si replied instead as he helped Oneakka stand Breack up from the stretcher. Breack's wrists were locked in a restraining device that John remembered from when he had been caught as a slave. Only this one had an extra chain that connected the restraints to the back of Oneakka's belt – it looked like Breack wasn't going anywhere.

"We are still hours away from the tunnel station," Nalla reported from her handheld computer.

"We must continue on regardless," Halling replied. "The closer we get to it before they attack the better."

"They will find us long before we reach it, my friend," Emmagan told him.

"Do they know about the base and tunnels?" Nalla asked Breack.

"They know of the base, but I do not know if they know about the tunnels," he replied as he worked to do his belt back up, encumbered by his restrained wrists. Nalla must have been satisfied that he was telling the truth because she turned back to her computer.

John looked up at the trees again and cursed himself – he really shouldn't have taken option three.

"Then we choose our place of battle and wait for the fight to come to us," Halling concluded for them all.

--------  
TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Part**: 13/16

-------

They chose a wide open space with enough trees to create obstacles for the attacking Wraith, but not enough to trap them all in. Overhead the canopy was dense, with barely any light shining in from above. The ground was flat, but afforded a clear view through the trees for yards out. No one would be able to sneak up on them unseen. But, that clear view also allowed them, in the distance through a break in the trees to see the valley beyond. A view that was now filling with tiny specks of darkness, a swarming sky of darts all headed this way.

John shifted his hand against the butt of the stunner set against his hip. He twitched to pull it out of its holster, but there was no point yet. The Wraith were still some distance away and his arms would need all the rest they could get. This wasn't looking good. Around him the Elite waited patiently enough, most of them filling their time with checking and cleaning their weapons. Emmagan and Oneakka stood the furthest forward with the best view of the distant growing swarm, and John stood purposefully beside Emmagan. Just behind and to one side of Oneakka Breack stood silently. John watched the distant swarming darts and frowned as behind them a new shadow cast over the valley.

"A cruiser," Emmagan informed him, though he had already guessed as much. "Now would likely be the time you retracted your thanks for my saving you," she added.

Despite the situation John smiled at that. "Well, at least it looks like there's interesting times ahead."

The sound of the buzzing darts abruptly grew louder and the sound rushed towards them. John held his breath and waited, his eyes turned up to the canopy overhead. The sound grew closer and the Elite grew quieter in their tasks, and suddenly John could see dark colours through the tiny breaks in the canopy.

"They can't sweep someone up through trees, right?" He whispered to Emmagan.

"No, but all it will take is a space wide enough for them to send down the beam to sweep you up. Be aware of that. They will try to flush us out into open spaces."

John nodded at the good advice and watched the bellies of the darts pass right overhead. Every sense and instinct inside him told him to run and hide, but not today. Today, he was going to stand and fight, even though the odds weren't exactly in his favour. Hell, when were they ever?

A second wave of darts passed overhead, stirring the canopy and John watched carefully for any gaps, but the dense branches and leaves above held strong.

"They can detect us under here?" He asked.

"Yes, they will have found us now that they have flown over us twice in such close proximity," she replied in a whisper.

"Then it is time," Halling stated from behind them.

The buzzing had changed, sounding like they were circling now, and as more darts joined, it created a constant drowning noise. Around him John felt the tingling of things moving. He glanced round to see a ghostly shape moving between the grey trunks of alien trees. He knew it wasn't real, that it was Wraith projection, but it still freaked him out. He consciously refused to acknowledge the ghostly flitters out the corners of his eyes and kept his eyes forward.

"Good, ignore them all," Emmagan said softly.

John glanced at her. She reached towards him and he looked down as she pressed something on his belt. It was a small round device that had been attached to the holster belt he had picked up on the Hastos. He saw a light trigger on the thin edge of the device and then a strange tingling sensation passed over him. The sensation held for a moment and then faded. "What..?"

"It will counteract their stunners, but not ours, so watch out for cross fire and do not allow them to take a stunner off you. Remain inside the circle, do not stand at the edge unless it is broken," she commanded. He frowned at her – what circle? Her hand pressed on his arm, pushing him back and he looked round to see that the Elite had formed a large circle, all of them facing outwards, with Breack stuck a metre behind Oneakka.

"I can fight on the edge," John protested, resisting her pressure for him to step into the centre of the circle.

She pushed him again, with more strength than most women possessed. "I do not doubt that," she replied over the drone of the darts above. "But, when we are forced to use swords and knives, you will only be in the way."

Behind her he saw movement and the first of the Wraith could be seen moving on foot through the trees in the distance. Above the darts flew lower and the artificial breeze stirred the canopy harder, breaking tiny spaces between the branches through which some of it gusted down around the circle.

John stepped backwards into the centre of the circle and turned, seeing the moving darkness in all directions – the Wraith had them surrounded. He pulled out his stunner and checked it was on kill setting. Actually from his position in the centre here he could add support to the circle, picking Wraith off, especially when the fight got close and personal. He tightened his grip on the alien stunner in his hand and waited. It didn't take long to start.

The Wraith stunners fired from all directions, the pale blue light streaking through the trees and blazing through his vision. He was used to seeing the affects of stunners, but instead he saw the energy impact the Elite around him and it simply fizzled out over them. The Elite began to fire in return, and John lifted his weapon to add his own. He focused in Emmagan's direction because it was easier for him to see around her with her shorter stature, and make sure his firing did not hit her.

Out among the trees the Wraith were falling under the stunners, but there were more behind them. They rushed in, forming columns of attack that even though the front lines were stunned down the rest behind could push further forward until they too fell to the stunner fire. The bodies piled up, creating a gruesome defensive line for the Wraith.

Another wave of darts flew heavily overhead and this time one stopped, hovering above them. A burst of light lit up the canopy and ahead, amidst the Wraith, a fireball slammed through the canopy and hit the ground. A gapping hole now burned through the canopy in the distance. Damn it - the Wraith were making landing points within the canopy. John kept firing, swearing to himself as another bolt from above carved a space in the canopy much closer to the circle.

The darts flew over again and John saw the sweeper beam light up in the open spaces they had created. Two groups of Wraith now filled those spaces and they rushed forward joining the ranks of those moving through the trees.

The sheer amount of attacking Wraith stunned John. He couldn't remember having seen this many Wraith in one place before, not unless they were in hibernation. There had to be hundreds rushing through the trees, and what made it worse was the awareness that this was only the first wave. These were the canon fodder, the pawns sent in to fall and use up the Elite's stunners, until the real fighting forces would push in. There had been two cruisers in orbit before – how many Wraith filled a cruiser? He thought hundreds, but he didn't really know. But, the Queen could have easily have sent more – there could be ten cruisers up there, and maybe even a Hive and he wouldn't know. Emmagan had said this Queen had been using the planet near the Alliance border as a breeding factory – well it looked like all the offspring, or whatever there was for Wraith, were headed into this forest.

He kept firing, until the light on the stunner died. He dropped it and pulled out the next one and started firing, turning to check if any other part of the circle needed support. The barricade built up from the first waves of stunned Wraith was being passed by the new waves and they were getting much closer this time. John kept firing, choosing his targets carefully now that the stunner's light had dimmed slightly.

He completed his turn and focused back on the space before Emmagan, to see another blast fire through the canopy, even closer this time, and as the bolt hit the ground it sent up a massive explosion of heat, fire and dirt. Those closest were thrown back, some Wraith killed instantly and others on fire. Emmagan, and Si beside her, staggered back, their arms raised against the rush of heat and dirt. John fired around them, keeping some cover. That the trees hadn't caught on fire from that was a miracle, or maybe it was due to their strange grey radiation resistant bark, but once the smoke and dirt cleared from the air, the new space was instantly filled with Wraith once again.

John's arm was aching already and he missed his P90. He had had a shitty couple of days and now he was stuck here in the middle of Apocalypse Wraith-style and his body was complaining at the past couple of days' treatment. He had fallen into a basic trap, been caged up like an animal and sold as a slave. Since then he had been at the will of people he didn't know. He had been in a crash, fought men twice his size, carried that stretcher for far too long and now he was going to die in a forest where no one would find his body. The anger and frustration powered him further, and he tossed aside the dead stunner and reached for his last one. He began firing rapid blasts around Emmagan and Si, as another dart swept overhead and dumped a new bunch of Wraith through the closest new smoking hole in the canopy. As soon as they materialised they rushed forward and fell under the stunners, but as they did John saw Emmagan toss aside her stunner and reach for a gun at her hip – she was out of stunners. She began picking her shots, taking longer to make sure each shot was a kill shot, so he fired his last stunner around her, taking down as many as he could for her. Around the circle the energy sounds of the stunners began to reduce and the more familiar sound of rapid bullets hitting targets filled the air.

John's stunner was the last to die out and with his last shot he took down one Wraith almost to the edge of the circle near Si. John dropped the useless stunner and pulled out his first Elite gun. He pulled out the back end of it and set it against his shoulder, the ache in his arms lessening, and he fired off the rapid semi-automatic shots. The kickback was ridiculously gentle and he stepped forward without realising.

Behind him someone cried out a battle cry and John turned, weapon set to his shoulder ready. Nalla's arms moved in a rush of movement and the two long knives in her hands cut away at the Wraith line that had reached her part of the circle. John set off shots, picking off the Wraith piling up to get around her as she fought hand to hand.

Behind him he heard gunfire stop and he spun back to see Emmagan reaching over her head. The pale sunlight around them glinted off the short swords as she pulled them up and out, sweeping them around and forward, and right through the Wraith that was reaching for her. John had a flash of memory of seeing those same weapons pass over his head, and watching them decapitate Wraith. He focused past her and fired at the Wraith running up to attack her next.

Around him the gun fire was decreasing, until only his and two others were firing. John turned, firing as he assessed the circle again, picking off targets that appeared around the flashing arms of the Elite. He didn't have time to focus on the details of the action around him, but the skill was clear. No Wraith had set one boot through the circle that John had seen. He kept turning and saw Breack with a gun in his hand, firing off sharp repetitive bursts of fire around Oneakka, who was slicing and dicing with clear passion.

John kept turning and saw Halling stabbing up and through the chin of a Wraith, as he twisted and turned with amazing speed. John fired around him, taking down the next Wraith, but the gun clicked on empty. John reached up and freed the magazine with an annoying lack of familiarity with the weapon, but he smacked a new magazine into place quickly enough, lifted it back to his shoulder and continued his firing. He had three more magazines for this weapon, then only two for the small handgun.

Someone shouted loudly enough for John to look round. Jobrill's body was twisting with battle, but he saw her agitated glances in one direction beyond the circle. John focused there and saw Wraith clustered around a particularly large tree. It took him a second to realise what they were doing – they were cutting it down, no doubt to open a massive hole in the canopy for the darts above. John considered throwing a grenade, but it looked too far and would likely bring down the tree itself. He stepped forward within the circle, getting as close to that edge of the circle without getting caught up in the swinging blades. He sighted along the weapon and fired at the lumberjack Wraith. He caught them by surprise and took down most of them before Wraith filled the space between them, protecting the lumberjacks. Crap.

He fired at the interlopers, but there were too many of them focused on blocking him now. Two blasts of Wraith stunner energy flew towards him. He held his breath as they hit, but only the tingling sensation passed over him and he felt a vague pressure against him. That was seriously cool technology. He fired back, now ignoring the following stun hits across his body before they gave up on firing at him.

Pressure from above told him another dart was hovering overhead and he saw the Wraith in the distance run from the tree. He shouted a warning into the battle fury and looked away as another blast hit through the canopy and exploded into the distance. He looked back to see half of the target tree was threatening to catch fire; its bark blackened and smoking. Another two blasts followed and he watched in horror as the tree finally gave up. Its inner pulp exposed by the blasts it caught fire in a rush and the flames lapped up into its remaining canopy. The area around the tree quickly filled with smoke, but John could see enough to see the dark belly of a dart lowering through the canopy.

He tucked his weapon back in its holster and pulled free one of the grenades from the belt around his chest. He took a moment to try and clearly recall the instructions Halling had given him. He looked back up and saw that the dart was lowering right through the gap to hover between the trees, and they had chosen just the right spot, because no trees would block its view straight through to the circle of Elite. He looked back down to the grenade, pressed the tab that would turn the grenade into a metal seeking bomb, then he pulled out the tab. Lights began flashing around it. He reached back and threw the thing with all his might towards the distant dart.

"Fire in the hole!" He shouted, unsure if the others would hear him or understand the phrase.

He turned away a second before the explosion hit. Hot air gusted over the circle and he looked up to see the dart was still there, but part of its hull was burning. He reached for another grenade.

Something roared and he turned to see Wraith rushing with renewed violence towards the circle, and that their attention was focused on him now. But he couldn't afford to be distracted and had to trust these Elite to keep the circle strong around him. He pressed and pulled the next grenade's tab and reached back to throw it. Wraith filled the space outside the circle between him and the dart, hoping to intercept his throw, but he threw the grenade anyway. As he feared, several Wraith leapt up to intercept the throw, but they only managed to deflect its flight slightly and it hit the ground among them and exploded, pieces of Wraith filling the air. John grimaced at the sight and drew his gun back out to start clearing the path to the dart again beyond the circle. It turned out it wasn't necessary.

The dart moved, turning its long pointed nose through the gap between trees towards the circle. John watched the twin cylinders set on the dart focus towards him and the Elite. He saw the slightest touch of a glow down those barrels, but he was already dropping down to the ground, arm over his head protectively as he screamed out a warning to whoever might hear him.

Heat and fiery energy passed over him and he heard trees cracking under the impact under the hits far behind him. Burning twigs and leaves rained down around him, and he moved to lift his head, but suddenly the nearness of the loud buzzing registered, and it was growing oppressively louder. He looked around his raised arm in time to see the dart rushing towards him, pushing between trees and literally mowing down some of its own troops. And then it was over the circle and John flattened himself to the soil under him. The rapid vibrations of the dart passing so close above him tore at his clothes and hair, stealing the air from his mouth, but it did not drown out the sound of the sweeper beam. He rolled, working from pure instinct on his best guess as to where he as under the dart. He kept rolling, praying he was not about to be squished under the belly of the dart, and heard the high pitched tone of the sweeper beam passing within inches of him as he kept rolling.

Then the pressure of the dart above him passed and he stopped his roll, flattening his belly to the ground and looked up to where the dart hung beyond the circle where it was trying to turn sharply to avoid colliding with a tree. Grenades sailed towards it and John watched the spinning arms break open from the leading ends of the tiny bombs. The magnetic clamps on the ends easily sought out the dart's hull and he watched them land securely onto the dart. He closed his eyes as the explosion hit. Hot air rushed against him as he struggled to get to his knees, blinded by the situation, flying soil and dying flames.

"Circle move, move!" Si's voice shouted through the din and the circle came back into view for John. The dart was still somehow in the air under the high canopy, but part of its butt was missing and one side was on fire. John got his feet under him and saw that the Wraith outside the circle that side were either dead or trying to avoid the dart that struggling to stay upright.

"Run, Sheppard, run," Emmagan shouted at him and he looked to his right to see her legging it towards him, Si at her side. Around him the circle was moving, turning into a diamond and pushing through the trees to the left. He looked around fast and saw his fallen weapon not too far away and scooped it up as he ran with the circle.

Behind him he heard the dart finally crash into a tree and with it some screams of Wraith.

"Run!" Halling shouted with renewed volume as the circle met the Wraith line ahead. John set the gun to his shoulder and began firing at the Wraith blocking them. The numbers were thinner here, presumably why the Elite had chosen this direction to run to regroup, but no doubt more Wraith would soon be arriving. Behind him he heard the clash of metal weapons as Emmagan and Si protected the circle's six. John turned to run backwards as he fired at the Wraith following them.

The dart exploded at this point. The fireball engulfed several trees and powered a massive gush of hot air around the forest, knocking down Wraith and Elite alike. John was shoved onto his back and as he stood up again he looked back towards the flaming trees and where the dart's engine had finally blown. Massive holes were clear in the canopy now and he could hear darts flying overhead again, whipping up wind, dust and leaves. John returned his attention, his ears ringing slightly, to firing on the Wraith pursuing them. The magazine emptied and he turned as he slammed a new one into place. The circle had widened dangerously and there were gaps now that had allowed some Wraith to get inside the line as they tried to encircle each Elite warrior as they fought. From the centre of the circle, John shot the Wraith attempting this as fast and accurately as he could, his trigger finger aching with the pressure he forced on the weapon in his hands.

The circle had stopped and was closing in again, but nothing had really changed. There didn't appear to be any less Wraith than before and it was down to hand to hand only. He had only one magazine left for this weapon, then only the smaller Elite handgun with only three magazines of its own. He had a maximum of two hundred bullets left he estimated, and he was fast working his way through this magazine. If he ran out of bullets all he would have to fight with would be the few knives he wore.

As he fired around the Elite as they worked he was aware of the brutality of what was occurring. Wraith limbs littered the blood streaked ground around the Elite's feet. The Elite's techniques of dealing with Wraith were simple and effective – cut off the arms or hands before they got a feeding lock on you, next cut the head, legs or torso off! And it was all happening with a flurry of activity that merged into one constant chaotic action around him. Broken pale sunlight through the trees glittered off the stained blades as the Elite fought. Occasionally John heard a grunt of pain from one, and there was blood over most of their arms, but he didn't know if it was their own or Wraith's. He turned, seeking out Emmagan's back in the circle, and fired around her.

Her two swords sailed brutally through bone and flesh, piles of Wraith pieces building up around her, creating space and obstacles over which the next Wraith had to pass over to attack her. Her swords twisted as she did and two more Wraith arms added to the piles.

The Elite were amazingly skilled and fast, but no one could fight on like this forever. He wondered how long it would take for them to tire.

Darts buzzed above the branches over him again and he heard weapons fire above, but instead of fire and flames descending through the canopy again he heard more rapid fire higher up. Then more firing, but over the sound of dart weapons fire a new sound rumbled closer. But, John didn't have time to consider what was going on up there, because behind him, around the circle someone cried out in real pain. John spun round and saw the Hastos male Elite down on one knee, blood leaking from one of his sides around a knife buried between his ribs. Wraith hands were reaching for him, around his raised defensive sword, and John squeezed the trigger on them. He emptied the magazine on the Wraith as the male dropped back, staggering to his feet again, one hand holding his side, out of reach of the Wraith. But, the circle had been broken and the Wraith saw it.

They rushed in through the gap, some turning to get around Nalla's and Si's backs on either side of where the male Elite had stood. John slammed his last magazine into the gun and took out those filling in towards him. The male Elite reached John's side, the two of them creating a new line within the circle. John kept firing, but there were so many Wraith so close that he was working purely on instinct. He went for their heads, firing rapidly at each, cutting them down with a brutality that normally would have turned his stomach, but right now it was what was necessary.

The Wraith swung around them though and the circle was useless now. The Elite were moving, standing back to back around the group, pairing up to have some protection for their backs. The wounded male Elite stepped around behind John to do what he could. John appreciated the offer, but the guy was bleeding out and probably wasn't going to last all that long.

The magazine jammed, bullets still clearly in the chamber, but the jam vibrated the gun violently and John dropped it with disgust. He pulled out his last gun, close to his usual sidearm, and set off his shots, but the Wraith were too close. Their numbers were thinner already, but the three before John were more than enough. John pulled out a knife with his free hand as he fired with his other. He set two rapid shots into the forehead of the closest, recalling Oneakka's suggestion in that moment. The Wraith dropped, but the next Wraith reached for John.

John swung up and round with the small blade, slicing through the creature's hand, tearing through tendons and the nasty feeding mouth in its palm. The creature pulled his hand back, but reached forward with another. A knife appeared from nowhere and buried deeply into the Wraith's temple. It dropped with a look of shock on its face that equalled John's, but John didn't stop to wonder where the handy knife had come from. Instead he was firing at the Wraith that was rushing at him.

This one was smarter and ducked under John's shots and rammed up at him. John tried to move aside, but the Wraith tackled him full on. He stabbed down with the knife in his hand into the back of the Wraith's shoulder as it shoved him hard to the forest floor. As John landed in the leaves and what felt like a piece of Wraith under one shoulder, he pulled his gun up to fire at the Wraith, but the creature elbowed his arm aside as it reached its hands towards John's throat.

At this point a new and bizarre sound entered into John's awareness amidst the chaos. It was a shaking rattling noise, like metal rods rasping against each other, and then above it a hissing cry that grew abruptly louder in John's left ear. John saw the Wraith hear it and its attention immediately left John and looked round.

John watched as something dark grey flew through the air towards the Wraith's face and he realised it was Ketra. Her body was the darkest he had ever seen it, the spines around her neck all standing up and out creating a sharp collar that was vibrating as she opened her mouth and leapt at the Wraith. John processed all this in a millisecond as the small creature sailed up at the Wraith's face.

John saw the Wraith's look of shock and it got one arm up to protect its face just in time. Ketra hit the arm, but instead of being swept aside violently as the Wraith had intended, she gripped onto the arm and with a flash of movement she leapt from it onto the Wraith's face. John saw a frightening close up view of her open jaw, her teeth already coated in blood. The lower jaw seemed to extend too far forward like a shark and the long fangs sank into the Wraith's face. The Wraith screamed and fell back and away.

John rolled onto his side, lifting his weapon to kill the Wraith before Ketra was hurt, but the Wraith was screaming and its hands gripped uselessly at Ketra's back, no doubt trying to drain her of life. John got onto his knees and fired several rounds into the Wraith's body and the struggling stopped. He got upright, turning to assess the situation, only now realising that Ketra was out of place. To the left he saw where she had come from – new Elite, those from the Sythus, had arrived and were sweeping in, clashing against the Wraith. Rescue had arrived it seemed, but would it be enough?

John turned back to the right, to where he had last seen Emmagan. She and Si were sectioned off from the rest, Wraith around them. Elite stunner fire was filling the air again behind him, but it was not making it this far back in the fighting. He lifted his gun and took out the back few Wraith around Si, but that only made them aware of him. Several Wraith turned towards him, standing in between him and the isolated Elite. John took his shots, stepping back as he did to keep enough space for the gun to remain effective.

Ketra hissed violently near him and he saw her bound across the ground and leap up at one Wraith with no fear for herself. The Wraith tried to swat her away as she landed on his leg, but then her claws set into his thigh and the Wraith cried out in pain, reaching down to force her away, but she was already climbing up his body up to his face. John hoped she knew how to take care of herself, because the other Wraith were almost on him. He focused at the forehead of the closest and shot it down, but the magazine was emptied immediately afterwards. He reached down to his hip for another, but the Wraith closest leapt at him. John struck up at the Wraith with the empty gun, smashing it across its face as it drove John down to the forest floor.

As he hit the ground he saw through small spaces in the canopy overhead the large belly of a ship passing high above, and it was not Wraith. Then the Wraith's head was above him. John smacked at its head again with the gun, struggling. The thing got one hand around his shoulder and John felt the first painful pressure of a feeding lock. He cried out as he forced his head up and headbutted the Wraith in the face.

Ketra suddenly reappeared by the Wraith's ear and John watched her set her jaws around the cord of the Wraith's neck. Her mouth was far too small to crush his throat, but it was enough to break skin and if she hit an artery it would have been over. John's respect for the little dragon went up even higher. In that moment of distraction John had pulled out a new knife and swung up and buried in into the other side of the Wraith's neck. John kicked it off him in case the thing got any ideas about draining him to repair itself. As he got up John released the magazine in the gun and pulled out a new one and shoved it home in one fluid movement. Two bullets ended the Wraith's life more abruptly than the bleeding throat wounds had been doing.

Panting with exhaustion and adrenaline he turned, gun lifted, to see that most of the battle was over. There were few Wraith left around the trees and they were being cut down by the Elite. John turned again though, sweeping the area to make sure there were no more heading in from behind him. Happy there weren't any new incoming Wraith, he felt some of his tension ease, and by his feet he heard Ketra hissing with what sounded like delight. He looked down at her, to see her perched on a fallen fainting smouldering tree branch, her jaws open and her eyes bright.

"Thanks for that," John found himself saying to the creature.

The collar of spines dipped slightly and her colour lightened. Then she leapt toward him with a sudden abrupt movement that had adrenaline kicking back into his system. Had he survived the Wraith only to be killed by Emmagan's pet? But as he lifted his arm to protect himself, her weight lightly landed and wound up his arm before he could react, and she stopped on his shoulder. He held still, expecting in that moment for those fangs to latch onto his throat, but she held still, her weight settling but her attention fixed on something across the quietening space. He turned to see what she was fixed on and saw it was Emmagan fighting against the last Wraith. The sword in Emmagan's hand fluidly followed her body's movement and its bloodied edge sliced into the last remaining Wraith. Its body fell to the ground and everything went still and quiet.

It was over – but for how long?

------  
TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Part**: 14/16

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It was wonderfully quiet among the trees, but as John walked towards where the Elite were gathering, he could still hear exchanging fire in the sky high above the forest. The ground fight was over for now, but they still had to get off this rock.

"How did you find us?" Oneakka was asking as he kicked a dead Wraith away from where Breack was getting up. Blood was smeared down one of the traitor's cheeks, but he looked intact. It must have been quite a ride for the guy being chained up to Oneakka throughout the battle.

Karin, the stern Elite woman from the Sythus who had never liked John, was the one to reply from the group of five Elite who had joined in the fight. "We knew you would try to get to the base or its tunnels. The fireball pointed the way and Ketra was the guide through the trees," she reported as she wiped down her sword. She looked barely out of breath.

"Ketra?" Emmagan asked looking round, obviously concerned in seeing her pet's health.

John was already headed towards her, Ketra practically falling off his shoulder in her eagerness to get to Emmagan. John saw Emmagan's smile as she saw the little dragon and then the smile shifted to him. She moved to meet him, sliding her swords into their sheaths on her back as she did.

"Massa!" A voice shouted and John looked round to see a large barrel-chested Elite man rushing through the group, a long knife in his hand as he reached Oneakka's side and grasped the front of Breack's clothing. The traitor's knees went out from under him and it was only Massa's hand that held him up.

The Elite reacted immediately, Halling and Nalla's hands landing on Massa, restraining but not pulling him away.

"Massa, we need him alive to testify," Halling was saying loudly over Massa's angry growls as he tightened his fist into Breack's front, the stained edge of his knife pressed against the soft underside of Breack's chin. Si's large hand landed on the knife hand, gently restraining, but again not pulling Massa away.

"He killed her, slaughtered her!" Massa shouted, his attention fixed on Breack.

Emmagan reached Massa's side. "Massa, we all know how important Mera was to you. You have every right to avenge her, but her memory and her death will be honured more by him telling his story," she said calmly, one hand lightly resting on his shoulder.

"We can report whatever he tells us," Massa protested. John saw Si add some more pressure to hold back his knife hand.

"No, we need him, Massa. Iketani was behind all this, and she controls many on the High Council," Emmagan informed him and John saw the man frown and finally look away from Breack, though he kept his grip tight on the front of the man's shirt. "This was an even deeper betrayal than we feared and it must be cut away. We will need him as evidence. His words, not just his body," Emmagan said calmly.

John was close enough now to see Massa's tortured eyes studying Emmagan and then drop back down to Breack. The traitor hung from the big man's hand, his eyes wide as they switched between the man and his knife.

Massa looked back to Emmagan. "He _must_ be punished!"

"He will be, my old friend," Halling said from beside Si. "But, first he must assist us."

Massa looked from Breack to the Elite around him. "He will not simply walk away from this. He will be punished and if he is not, then I have the right to enforce it."

Halling nodded, as did the others and their hands dropped away from him. Massa stared back down at Breack, the knife edge pressing slightly tighter than before, and then he finally released Breack, shoving him as he did. Massa turned, sheathing his knife, his back to Breack. It also meant the man was now facing John.

"Who is this?" Massa demanded, his eyes shifting from John to Ketra on his shoulder. The dragon tilted her head, clearly familiar with him.

"This is Sheppard and somehow he survived the battle," Si replied with a smile as he passed John.

"He's Emmagan's new slave," Oneakka reported, his tone full of teasing suggestiveness, as he dragged Breack back up to his feet.

Ketra chose this moment to abandon John's shoulder, digging her claws briefly into him, creating multiple pinpoints of pain, as she leapt from him to Massa's outstretched hand. John hoped he had hidden the wince from the large Elite who was still frowning down at him.

Massa turned towards Emmagan, "Which would explain Kanaan's mood," he said with a raised eyebrow as he handed Ketra over to Emmagan. The small dragon scurried up Emmagan's arm, her sleek skin turning bright silver in colour as she rubbed her head against Emmagan's jaw with clear pleasure.

"This is Major Sheppard of Atlantis," Emmagan explained, clearly purposefully ignoring the comment about Kanaan. "What of the two cruisers?" She asked.

Massa had glanced back at John, his interest caught. The man's eyes swept over John, no doubt noting the Wraith blood and empty holsters. "We used Elkaska's gifts to destroy one," Massa reported.

"The other is fighting above still," Karin added. "We should return to the transport craft."

The Elite moved, heading towards Karin as she turned and led the way. Stepping around and over broken pieces of Wraith John made his way to catch up with Emmagan. High above he could hear the fire fight continuing, but the sounds were more distant.

"Elkaska will be most disappointed that his gifts were not used to kill the target Queen," Halling was saying.

"I will break it to him softly," Emmagan replied with amusement. John fell into step behind her. Ketra turned on her shoulder and looked back at John, but instead of the usual glare she tilted her head as if considering him. Her aggressive opinion of him may have gone, but her focus still unnerved him somehow. Maybe it had been the seriously close-up view of her fangs sinking into that Wraith's throat. She had saved his life, twice, so he mustered up a smile for her. She tilted her head and returned to snuggling up against Emmagan.

"Have we heard from the Fleet?" Jobrill asked as they trekked at a fast pace through the trees.

"They received the distress call. It is two Satedan ships that fight the cruiser overhead," Karin reported.

"And the fleet?" Emmagan asked.

Karin looked over her shoulder. "Lead Commander Dex reported that the battle was going well."

"Well enough that he sent two of his own force to aid us," Nalla remarked.

"Lead Commander already," Halling muttered with amusement. "Dex's skills are only surpassed by his advancements." Beside him John saw Emmagan's smile in reply to Halling's comment.

"We have sent word back to the training base," Karin continued. "No details were included, but the advice to place all slaves of the Elite under guard. They will understand the importance." In the distance beyond Karin, John could see metal amidst the trees.

"All our ship's crews will need to be assessed for their allegiance," Jobrill uttered thoughtfully.

"It will have to be done carefully," one female Elite from the Sythus added. Beside her walked the wounded male Elite, his side strapped up, the blade still in place in his ribs. The woman was helping him walk, but John was amazed that he could walk at all. John considered offering to help by taking his other arm, but decided that it would probably be any insult to the warrior.

"We must hunt down Iketani," Oneakka stated.

Emmagan glanced back at Oneakka, turning her profile into John's view. She looked like there wasn't a scratch on her. Her clothes were peppered with blood, leaves and dirt, but clearly she was fine. A few of her braids were coming loose and there was a smear of dirt down one of her cheeks, but other than that she was unharmed. All those Wraith she had killed and there wasn't a scratch on her. Now, he really understood what he had seen that first time he had met her. He had been trapped in a Wraith base and she had entered into the middle of the fight, consequently saving his life, and he had watched her chasing Wraith from the room. The Wraith had been running from her and now he knew why. The others around him had more cuts and bruises, but she and Oneakka and Si appeared completely unscathed. After the intense battle John's body ached, his ears still rung slightly and he felt exhausted, but they looked as tall and as strong as when they had started this battle. Perhaps it was borne simply out of the adrenaline, and how pretty Emmagan was, but he felt in awe of these Elite. Back in Atlantis they had no idea how brutal and skilled these warriors were. No wonder the Wraith had been defeated in this area and chose to keep away from them.

Up ahead a shuttle-like ship sat among the trees and in its side a door slid open and John saw Kanaan step out, his expression relieved. John glanced back to Emmagan, but with her back to him he couldn't really judge her mood. Massa's comment about Kanaan had certainly suggested a relationship of some description between Emmagan and Kanaan, and now more than ever John really wanted to know what it was.

Suddenly in the distance there was a massive explosion, all turned, but it was far away and clearly high in orbit. Hopefully it was the last cruiser and not one of the fleet ships.

Emmagan smiled beside him. "The cruiser has been destroyed," she reported and the atmosphere of the Elite group relaxed around them. John frowned and looked back in the direction of the explosion, but trees and probably hillsides and clouds blocked his view. He looked back round to Emmagan and she saw his look. She had known the Wraith were coming and had known there were going to be a lot of them. She had said Elite had special gifts…

"You can sense Wraith?" He asked her. "Like Ketra can?" He asked.

Emmagan's dark pretty eyes studied him for a moment before she nodded. "And enter their minds," she added. "I am a Seeker. I hunt down Wraith and can defeat their Queens on the battlefield of the mind or the body."

"Wow, that's some gift," John replied.

She looked away at that, back off to the trees they had passed through. Behind them the others were climbing into the transport shuttle. "It can often be a burden as much as it is a gift," she replied.

"That it can," Si replied as he passed them. John watched him walk past and saw Si give him a pointed look. John suspected some of his awe had been showing as he had been looking at Emmagan, so he tried to hide it better. So he looked off into the distance as she was and wondered what she saw or felt.

"The last of the darts have been destroyed," she reported after a moment and she turned, her shoulder brushing lightly against his as she headed for the shuttle. John took one last look around the forest and followed her. As she disappeared inside, John reached up to grasp the side of the hatchway and as he climbed inside he saw Kanaan seated to the left in a pilot seat, and the man's eyes held suspicion and perhaps something a little darker. John paused in the entrance, the last in, and saw that the large, heavily armed Elite took up most of the space and there were only two seats free – one beside Breack or in the spare pilot seat. He turned to move towards the latter.

"Don't let him pilot, Kanaan," Oneakka called out. "He crashed the last time." The others laughed, but in that moment of teasing John understood that he had gained some respect.

As he moved towards the seat he looked back towards Oneakka. "You've still got all your limbs; stop complaining," he called back. The Elite laughed in response and Oneakka lifted an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, but there was definite approval there now.

As John strapped himself into the spare pilot seat, Kanaan's presence rather cold beside him, John finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at himself, to the alien clothes splattered with blood and dusted with dirt, and wondered how he was going to write this up in his report when he got back to Atlantis. Battles were usually the strangest of things to write up. 'We engaged the enemy and were victorious' would probably be the simplest, but it would hardly describe what he had lived through. And it did not pay true homage to what he had seen the Elite accomplish today.

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The planet occupied the lower part of the porthole at which John stood. It was the planet all this had been about – the target world just beyond the Alliance's border. The one taken by the Wraith Queen, turned into a massive base that she had been using to build her forces and threaten the Alliance. Now it burned.

The atmosphere was a swirling mess of dark burning colours, broken occasionally with small flashes of the explosions and flames within the dying atmosphere. Through the occasional patch of burning sky below John could see the pillars of dark smoke rising from the ruined landscape below. Nothing would have survived that, and any Wraith that may have escaped in ships hadn't gotten much further. Large pieces of Wraith ships glided in orbit over the planet and John set his attention on one chunk, watching it turning slowly, the momentum most likely still lingering from the explosion that had torn apart the Wraith cruiser it had formally been a part. He could see the tiny details of broken floors within the piece, see the flame-light from the planet below shine across the organic mess of the Wraith technology torn up inside.

He should feel pleased and impressed by the utter destruction the Alliance's massive fleet had wrought upon the Wraith here, but instead it chilled him through. This Alliance wasn't some weak underdog, struggling against the Wraith – they were a superpower that had stomped on this world with a furiousness that was shocking. He understood that it had probably been a symbolic act and the burning planet below their statement to their intolerance of the Wraith. Now John really understood why the Wraith had left the Alliance alone, why they had turned on the other unprotected worlds of Pegasus. He had witnessed the Elite's living skill and violence earlier and now he saw the Alliance military fleet's power.

A trail of light entered into his view and he watched it impact into the large piece of Wraith debris, and the chunk of debris exploded into tiny pieces of light. As the haze cleared only tiny particles remained. John turned his gaze to the small fighter craft that had fired on it, clearing up the battle's litter. He watched the fighter change direction, admiring the pilot's skill and the sleek design of the ship as it banked and headed towards its next easy floating target. There were plenty of similar small fighters buzzing amidst the fleet, slipping and sliding around the wide variety of ships all hovering over the planet, watching it die. He focused on those larger ships now.

The Sythus had missed the battle, having arrived as the cleanup had begun. Breack had told them that Iketani, the traitor master-mind behind setting up the Elite, had stayed true to her position as an Elite and had not given the Wraith Queen the right coordinates for the Alliance fleet, thereby betraying both the Elite and the Queen. The Queen hadn't been on the planet though apparently, clearly not very trusting of Iketani despite their agreement. Having met Iketani, John could understand that viewpoint.

His body ached and he felt tired through to his bones, but other than a few cuts and bruises he was intact. His deepest wound had been the one in his thigh from the crash, and the Elite doctor had passed some cleansing device over it, before pinching the cut's edges together and had quickly stapled the wound shut. John had almost hit the woman in response to that abrupt and unexpected painful action. She had laughed at his swear words, not understanding the literal meaning of the Earth terms he used, but she had gotten the meaning behind it clearly enough. She had then smeared a clear gel over the staples, which had solidified into a flexible watertight bandage over the cut.

After that he had taken a shower, finally washing away the dirt, sweat and blood from the fight. The warmth of the water had soaked into his tired muscles and afterwards if he hadn't been hollow with hunger he would have passed out on one of Emmagan's sofas. Instead the Elite had converged and wolfed down a meal as the Sythus rushed through hyperspace to meet up with the fleet. But, when they had arrived, the battle had been over.

The fleet had overwhelmed the Wraith, breaking through their lines and had obliterated the base below. Now, that fleet hung over the planet and John had to wonder why they lingered. He didn't know how or why, but there was the feel of a held breath on the Sythus and in the fleet outside the window. Emmagan had left him here in the observation room as she went off somewhere. He wondered if she was with Kanaan, but quickly pushed aside that thought. If today had shown him one thing among all the information he had gathered, was that life in the Alliance was very different to life back in Atlantis. He found himself feeling desperately homesick for the Ancient city, and his friends who probably all thought him dead. Emmagan had promised to deliver him to a world with a Stargate, but until then he remained at the mercy of this ship and the Elite, and his restlessness to return to his own people was growing by the moment. At least in Atlantis he knew where he stood and the small squabbles of the IOA and SGC meant so little compared to what he had experienced today.

The door slid open behind him and he focused his gaze to the reflection moving towards him. She had re-braided her hair and had changed her clothes. He didn't look round at her, but kept his attention on the fleet among which the Sythus sat. He slid his gaze over the ships he could see from his viewpoint, noting that the similar styles of ships were grouped together within the fleet as a whole. There were distinct markings on some of them, presumably from the same planet or system.

Emmagan stopped beside him and he let his focus shift to her reflection again. She was dressed in dark tones, her skin almost entirely covered, except for her face and the centre of her throat. Through that small slip of space he could see the edge of her black Wraith tattoo shadow down one side of her throat. Her swords were once again set on her back and he guessed that some new mission was on the horizon already. The dark reds and purples of the dying planet shone up against the porthole window, mixing with their reflections to create the image of her standing among swirling flames. Her attention was directed out straight through the window, her chin level and confident. She was unlike any woman he had met before and probably would again. He had seen her fight like an angel of death, swords slicing and cutting, as she fought against hundreds of Wraith with no clear sign of fear.

Yet, there was something else to her. The other Elite women held the same proud strength and skill, but in Emmagan's eyes he thought he saw more compassion and understanding than in them. Perhaps he was projecting his attraction onto that opinion, but he was pretty sure that, even among her own people, Emmagan was something special. As she stood beside him now, he felt oddly comfortable with her and she appeared in no hurry to fill the silence with idle talk. And even more strangely – he felt no need to either. What could be said against what he saw outside the wide observation windows?

So he let his focus return to the ships outside and turned his attention to absorbing information on what he saw outside. Anything to avoid looking back at the dying planet below.

Time passed as he watched the flow of the fleet, the small fighters completing their litter runs and turning back towards their home ships. After awhile John noticed that the fleet was subtly shifting, and from the top left of the windows a new shadow appeared. He looked up towards it and watched as a new ship appeared, sliding forward to sit in the middle of the gathered fleet. John watched it slide forward, its massive bulk as impressive as its design. Its hull was dark metal, blending it into the darkness between stars beyond it, and its basic shape reminded John of a bird of prey hunched over its prey. The wide long 'wings' of the vessel hung out and down, and along them its weapons were proudly displayed. There had been no hint at attempting to conceal any of the lines of gun barrels and launch tubes of whatever weapons it used to blast other ships apart. Among thugs this ship would be the biggest but oddly the most agile of them. It was the one you thought slow and easy pickings, but there was a clear sharpness to the ship, and the scorch marks along its 'wings' were testimony to the fact that it had been in centre of the battle the Elite had missed.

"The Satedan Primary warship," Emmagan informed him, breaking the easy silence.

John watched it fill the windows even further. "She's impressive," he offered.

"The Balista," she named the ship, and her voice held appreciation. "And our destination," she added.

John looked away from the Balista towards her for the first time. "It is?"

Emmagan's dark eyes slid to the windows allowing him a moment to appreciate the close fitting dark outfit she wore. "The fleet is gathered in greater force than normal, and it affords us the opportunity to meet."

John frowned at her tone. "Meet for what?" He asked, sensing he was missing something.

She looked back to him, meeting his eyes directly. "To talk," she replied simply and he narrowed his eyes at her. "You will have to play the part of slave more precisely when we are there," she added, ignoring his silent request to tell him more.

He paused, considering what he thought she meant. "Meaning I shouldn't mention I'm from Atlantis while we're there?" he guessed.

A smile crossed her lips as she gave him a slight nod. She turned from the windows, still smiling and he got the impression that he had impressed her with his understanding. But, there was no chance to follow it up, for she was moving away to the exit. John took one last look back out towards the large dark Balista, sparkling impressively in the middle of the fleet. He moved away, following Emmagan out of the doorway and into the corridor beyond.

"Atlantis is a subject often discussed among the strong worlds of the Alliance, and among the fleet itself," she told him as he walked behind her shoulder.

John felt rather proud to hear that, though he suspected from Emmagan's tone that it was not a good thing. "Not all good then?"

"There are many who feel that despite Atlantis' clear successes against the Wraith, that your involvement only provokes the Wraith into harming worlds and perhaps into threatening our borders again," she replied.

"So they do care about the worlds outside Alliance borders?" John asked doubtfully, aware that he might be insulting her slightly, but feeling that a friendship of respect had been built up enough for him to speak more directly with her. He resisted the temptation to try to peer forward to see her expression over her shoulder as he kept back according to the slave rules he was still forced to follow.

"It is a primary plan of the Elite to be able to protect as many worlds as we can," she replied, not sounding insulted in the least. "But, there are factors which prevent that as yet."

"Well clearly you're able to protect your borders," John noted. "Why not push out further?"

She lead him round several corners as they made their way further back through the ship, but remaining on this low level of the Sythus.

"The Alliance is a massive collection of systems that must all be protected and patrolled, and it is all governed by only one High Council," she explained and when she didn't add anything more, he understood what she didn't explain further.

"Politics," John concluded. He had fought in many battles; on the ground, in the sky and in space, but the battlefield of politics was one he didn't really understand, or wish to.

Emmagan nodded, not actually giving voice to her response, and he got the impression that it was a sticking point for her as well. Her father was some bigwig leader overseeing some planets, so she had to understand politics to a certain degree. But then hadn't she said that she had begun her Elite training when she was only ten? The Elite seemed to have one pure focus – killing Wraith, especially the Queens. He imagined politics could get in the way of that sometimes.

"So, the Alliance thinks we're stirring things up in this galaxy?" John returned to her previous comment on Atlantis.

She led him round another corner and down a short corridor towards a large closed hatchway. "There is also the opinion that your presence in the City of the Ancestors should not be tolerated. The city belongs to those of this galaxy and it should be returned to us." They reached the large doorway and she passed her hand over the trigger to open it.

"Actually," John said carefully to her as the doors slid open. "Atlantis was first on Earth, back in our galaxy. The Ancients, the Ancestors, brought it to this galaxy with them."

She glanced up at him with a looked of interest before she moved forward. John turned to follow and found that they were back in the shuttle bay where they had arrived back in the Sythus. There were crewmembers scurrying around the shuttle preparing it, and its hatchway was open with Halling standing beside it clearly waiting for Emmagan.

As they approached Halling frowned at John. "Should you really be bringing an outsider with you?" He asked Emmagan.

Emmagan paused by Halling. "There is nothing to say I cannot bring my slave with me," she replied. Halling frowned down at her, his eyes full of questions that John didn't understand. He watched the two of them share some unspoken conversation, and he wished he understood what was being said.

"If they find out later they may hold it against you," Halling said, but his tone suggested he was already agreeing.

"How will it matter then?" She asked. "Now is a time to be looking towards the future, my friend." She smiled up at Halling and patted her hand against his chest before she turned and entered the shuttle.

John paused, his gaze locking with Halling's. The man looked at him more intently than he ever had before. John wasn't sure what the man was looking for, but he held still and let him look. Halling frowned again, an expression John hadn't seen on him very much, and John had the sudden impression that this 'talk' over on the Balista was not your usual get-together. Halling was tense and that didn't make John feel all that relaxed. Halling turned away though and entered the shuttle and John followed. They settled down, a pilot already sat at the controls. John sat by Emmagan's side with Halling across from them.

As the shuttle began to lift up from the hangar floor, John felt Halling's attention on him again and looked round, but Halling's gaze slid to Emmagan as he spoke. "I believe it unwise to judge an entire people on one lone example."

Emmagan didn't seem to take objection and nodded in reply. "I agree, but also it can take only one person to change the popular view. You and I know that better than most."

John decided that they were definitely talking about him. He looked at Emmagan beside him, but her attention was directed purposefully forward. Now it was John's turn to feel worried. Emmagan was taking him along to this 'talk' for a reason, one which even Halling either didn't agree with or understand. John suspected that he may already have been shoved onto the battlefield of politics without him realising. He had to hope that he hadn't become some kind of political pawn.

He turned to look out through the front of the shuttle himself and watched the Sythus slide away and the fleet appear around them. The pilot turned the ship, moving back around the Sythus' belly and the hulk of the Balista came into view. As John watched the massive ship grow to fill the view, he tried not to remember the Wraith version of pawns that had fallen so quickly and easily under the Elite's weapons.

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TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Part**: 15/16

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It had been over a year since the day John had innocently flown an Airforce General out across the ice of Antarctica. It had turned out to be a day that had changed his life. Since then he had experienced things that had stunned him, terrified him and amazed him. Today, he felt a twisted confused mixture of all three.

The backend of the Balista grew closer through the front porthole of the shuttle, and he watched as a patrolling tightly formed arrow of small fighters slid across their path. The starlight glinted off their hulls as they twisted almost impatiently in their rigidly structured formation. He watched them pass across his field of view, until they disappeared to the right, leaving only the Balista to fill the viewport.

A series of open hangar bay doors stretched a line across the back of the Balista, and the shuttle headed towards the larger one on the far right. Emmagan had said this was a Satedan ship, but as the shuttle entered the hangar bay it seemed that the other shuttles lined up on the floor below were of different designs. Already John could pick out two different symbols on them that corresponded to two of the larger ships outside. It looked like Emmagan and Halling weren't the only visitors to the Balista for this 'talk'.

The Elite shuttle touched down gently to the floor and as the pilot began to shut down the engines John saw a small group approaching the shuttle from outside. Halling moved to the hatch and triggered it open to reveal a tall elegant woman standing outside. She was clearly dressed in a uniform, shared with those lined up in two lines behind her, but it was a uniform that had clearly been designed for battle. Heavy duty material crossed over her shoulders and down her arms, covering her down to her elbows like a skin of armour over the thin shirt beneath.

"Greetings Honoured Elite," the woman greeted them. "Lead Commander Dex welcomes you aboard the Balista."

"And it is good to see you well, Maru," Halling replied as he stepped down out of the shuttle. "He must be especially pleased to see us to send you to greet us."

Maru was about John's height, her hair long, but tied back with a series of bands into a long whip down her back. Her shoulders were wide and strong, the tilt of her chin seeming naturally defiant, but as she inclined her head in reply to Halling's comment there was a touch of smiling pleasure in her eyes. "I trust our ships served you well?" She asked.

"Very well, as one always expects of Satedan warriors," Emmagan replied as she stepped out of the shuttle ahead of John. There was a subtle shift to the atmosphere in response to that compliment and John thought he saw the ramrod straight backbones of the two lines of soldiers behind Maru somehow become even straighter.

Maru inclined her head again, her smile slightly warmer towards Emmagan. "I will pass on your compliments to the Lead Commander." As she straightened up the smile disappeared to her former controlled expression. "The others are already gathered," she told them. "If you will allow us to guide you?" She asked as she indicated the exit from the bay.

As Emmagan and Halling moved forward, finally allowing space for John to leave the shuttle, he looked up and around at the hangar bay with admiration. The two lines of soldiers spilt, half striding away leading the way and the rest remaining as Halling and Emmagan followed Maru forward. John fell into step behind Emmagan, and noted her pointed look towards him. Suppressing his frown he dropped his gaze, remembering that a slave shouldn't be so interested in everything. He tilted his head downwards slightly, but continued his study of the Balista around him. As they left the side of the shuttle the rest of the soldiers, their escort guard, followed, the soft sounds of their marching boots rather unnerving behind him.

The hallway ahead of them was wide and seemed designed to impress. There was no red carpet or fanfare to wow visitors, but there was something very impressive about the size and stark efficient war-like nature to even the internal design of the Balista.

They entered an elevator which held half the escort guard along with him, the Elite and Maru. There was no small talk on the trip and John sneaked a glance at the guards near him to see that they continued to hold their bodies as straight and precisely as possible. None of them broke their gaze from the wall before them, and John had the impression that they were all either nervous or on their very best behaviour, or perhaps both. The Elite were considered the ultimate fighters in this military, so maybe their presence was like having a General around. If that General made their living out of killing monsters with their bare hands.

The elevator doors slid open and a new half of the escort were waiting outside in the corridor in their straight lines. This new group turned and marched the way down the even wider corridor on this level. They all remained silent as they followed, as both Emmagan and Halling kept their attentions fixed ahead of them. In fact as they walked John realised that even Emmagan was holding herself differently – her shoulders were normally level and relaxed, but there was a new tension to her, and the same for Halling beside her. Maybe it was being on show for the military, or maybe it was the 'talk' ahead of them.

The guards halted before a wide arched doorway, and Maru stepped forward to activate the door's controls. John felt Emmagan's attitude shift again in front of him, but as he couldn't see her face he looked at Halling instead. The man was ridiculously tall anyway, but he seemed to be higher and wider than before, and his expression, usually one of the calmer amused ones of the Elite, now was completed closed.

The doors opened and the two strode forward, Maru immediately stepping aside as she entered the room beyond. John kept his head down still, but with Emmagan's shorter height he could see over her shoulder subtly enough. A short lobby inside the door was lined with more guards, in a wide selection of uniforms implying they might not be Satedans. All of them straightened their backs, their eyes rising to look directly ahead of them. Emmagan and Halling strode past them without a glance, towards the arched entrance ahead. In the large room beyond there stood a massive table, around which men and women were now standing up. At the closest end of the long table a man turned, his armour of simple Satedan design, and he smiled at the Elite as he inclined his head.

"Elite warrior Emmagan and Elite warrior Halling," Maru introduced them from John's left.

"Welcome," the large man replied, and though the words and his stance seemed to be studiedly polite, his eyes sparkled slightly at the Elite. John suspected this was the Lead Commander Dex they had been talking about. He was a strong tall man, his muscular arms bulging around his thin armour. He had a full head of dreadlocks that hung down in a wide mane around his shoulders. At his waist he wore three weapons that John could see, and the tiniest glance around at the rest of the room showed John that none of the others stood around the table were armed. The presence of Emmagan's swords on her back seemed all the more obvious.

"Lead Commander Dex," Halling greeted formally in reply, confirming John's guess.

Dex turned back to his seat, at the head of the table, and indicated two empty seats on his right at the table. "Join us," he invited. Emmagan and Halling stepped forward and stood before the seats, their gazes travelling around the table to the faces that they presumably knew, before they sat down. Only then did the others around the table settle back down into their chairs, and as they did the atmosphere became slightly more relaxed.

"It is good to see you returned to the fleet," one man said across the table to the Elite. John stood a metre or so behind Emmagan's chair, and resisted the urge to simply lean his tired back against the wall behind him. As he settled into a standing stance that would not make his back and legs any more tired he felt Dex's attention on him. John glanced at the man and saw him frown slightly as he sat down at the head of the table. John had noticed the lack of other slaves in the room, and watched Dex's gaze shift to Emmagan, as Halling replied to the question across the table.

"We regret that we missed the battle," Halling said, his voice still held his more relaxed nature, but there was that new tense stark quality to it. John wondered if news of the Elite traitors had been spread yet, and what it might mean to the reputation of the Elite.

"It was short lived, and there was no sign that the Queen had been present on the planet," a woman said. John looked around the table, making sure not to turn his head, but look only with his eyes, though he doubted these people would even register the movements of a slave.

There were fourteen people, including the Elite, around the table and they were clearly from differing cultures, though there was the similarity of a military uniform between them. These would be the commanders of the ships out there in the fleet. John's attention was drawn to one uniform he recognised – Genii. The Genii representative was a woman, whose posture suggested that she was either bored or was not enjoying herself. Her expression held a touch of impatience John thought, but her eyes were tightly focused, moving from one face to another with sharp intelligence. John instantly was suspicious of her, but perhaps that was simply because of his experience with Kolya and the negative feelings just her uniform brought forth. He would be happy not to have to relive that night in which the storm had hit and so had Kolya.

"The target Queen was not on the planet," Emmagan reported.

"Is this why you did not join us for the battle?" A man asked, his uniform dark blue with a pinstripe design of silver threads worked through it.

Emmagan did not reply instantly, but held a purposeful long pause. "Two Wraith cruisers crossed our border from this planet and attempted to cull the Elite at our meeting point."

Everyone looked shocked, except Dex John noted, and he guessed the Satedan had already been briefed.

"You destroyed them of course?" A man asked, though his voice held a touch of question.

"They have been destroyed, in no part due to the assistance of Lead Commander Dex," Emmagan replied. There were more shocked and confused looks around the table.

"Two Elite betrayed us, disabling both our ships, laying us available to the Wraith," Halling explained. John was a little surprised that so much information was being shared.

This time even Dex looked shocked and he snapped his head towards the Elite with a heavy frown. "Traitors? Among the Elite?"

Emmagan looked towards him beside her. "Iketani," she informed him. "And one she controlled." Dex sat back with a growl, apparently familiar with Iketani.

"Why?" Someone asked.

"Lust for power," Emmagan replied.

"Power?" The same person asked with confusion.

Emmagan paused again, and all their ears were straining for her answer when she finally spoke. "Power she hoped to win within the High Council." There was a long stunned pause. "It appears that there are those among the High Council who were willing to offer her a place among their number and her plan was sole control of the military leadership as a member of the Council."

A fist slammed down onto the table at the far end. "They trick us and use us as it is!" One man exclaimed.

"We must not condemn all of the High Council because some within their number that can be traded for so easily," one woman argued. "They serve us today with this strike, and our easy victory will show them, as we intended, that our combined skill and coordination is second to none. They will approve extension of the border."

"They will never do that in our lifetimes. This planet's former Wraith occupation has frightened them enough to shy and hide within the boundaries like children," another argued with her.

"It is has always been the intent of the Alliance to eradicate all Wraith across this galaxy," the woman replied.

"Did this Iketani hope to force such policies?" The Genii woman asked Emmagan from down the length of the table.

"As all are aware pushing out our borders is a driving desire within all Elite, she has been no different. Even if she were to encourage that policy I have no doubts that it would have been on her own terms."

"Iketani does nothing that does not serve her directly," Dex muttered, implying he had some personal past experience of his own with the traitorous siren.

"Perhaps it would be best to allow her some power among the High Council then," the Genii replied, and surprised heads turned in her direction. "If we can use her to our advantage…"

"We will have no way to control her," Halling replied. "Her own control within the High Council appears based on exchanged favours and plotting. Much of her dealings are based on her sexual control and dominance."

"She should be killed then," the Genii replied.

"Then we risk never discovering those within the highest levels of power that she uses as puppets, and what they would surrender to her. Those influenced representatives betray not only their own worlds, but the whole of the Alliance," Pinstripe pointed out.

"Once this Iketani's failure to destroy our honoured Elite becomes known those she influenced will hide their connections to her. They will have been careful," a woman beside Dex added, her long dark green dyed hair was pinned up at the back of her head with red ribbons woven between the locks.

Dex growled out his agreement. "We will hunt them out," he replied.

"No doubt some will be discovered and willingly sacrificed by other guilty parties to pass suspicion from them," Halling added.

"This is dangerous," green-haired woman said as she frowned darkly. "We begin to doubt and question our own leaders. The stability of the Alliance itself could be rocked, if not broken, if systems turn against each other."

Many nodded their agreement, the anger in the room dimming slightly.

"Perhaps then it should be done quietly," Pinstripe suggested. "The Elite could investigate this," he asked towards Emmagan and Halling.

"Trust that this betrayal will never go without punishment and thorough investigation," Emmagan stated with a dark tone.

"We would never doubt that, Honoured Elite," the Genii woman replied with a careful tone. "But, this calls into question not just the leadership of the High Council, but the leadership the influenced parties have of their own worlds. Internal agreements and politics have always been part of the Alliance's strength, but it can also break it apart."

The room dropped into contemplative silence for a moment.

"The strength of the Alliance was created through our combined military forces," Emmagan said. "In our mutual protection and defensive of each other, we have become strong." There was another pause, but somehow her words had changed the atmosphere significantly. All eyes were on her.

"You suggest the military alone investigate this betrayal within the High Council?" the Genii woman asked.

Emmagan turned her head to look straight down the table towards the woman. "We are the backbone of this Alliance, we create and hold it together. Yet, we are governed by the High Council – representatives from worlds who have not felt even the threat of the Wraith for many long years. Many of the central worlds have not experienced a culling in generations. The High Council governs our unity, our politics and policies well. They keep us unified in purpose, law and trade. But, they know nothing of war."

"All of our representatives in the High Council are advised by military leaders," one man added, but he sounded like he was simply playing devil's advocate.

"Yes, those of you around this table and others who could not join us in this battle today, instead remaining to protect our other borders," Halling replied. "Do you feel your advice is heard by your representatives in the High Council?"

John's eyes had been shifting from one person to the other along the table, caught up in the story revealed before him. They were talking about the very heart and government of the Alliance – no wonder Halling hadn't wanted John here, but why had Emmagan brought him to hear this? And more worryingly – was Emmagan about to start a military coup? John hadn't gotten the impression that the Elite had any interests in running things, just that they felt held back by the High Council.

"This is a topic that all of us have discussed for many years, as I am sure you know, Honoured Elite," one man replied carefully. There were a few chuckles around the table.

"The High Council unofficially authorised the culling of the Elite this day," Halling told them.

"You speak of treason of the highest levels," green-haired woman said shocked.

"They would never sacrifice our greatest warriors," another protested.

"Perhaps Iketani played on their fear of us, and our clear disapproval of High Council military policies," Emmagan replied. "What is clear is that if so many of the Elite had been killed this day; Iketani would have not have been held accountable."

"They fear your influence over us and our peoples?" Pinstripe asked.

"The Elite have no intention in controlling the High Council," Emmagan replied. "But we see no wisdom in them continuing to control military matters. We suggest that a Military Council be formed."

There was a moment of shocked silence, but John sensed the new touch of excitement in the air.

"And it's place to the High Council?" The Genii asked. John glanced at her to see that she had sat forward, her expression no longer bored.

"We suggest that the Military Council report to the High Council, but govern all military matters," Emmagan replied.

"Perhaps they will be pleased, to have such a burden removed from their shoulders," one man added amused. "After all they have so much other work to do."

"They will never accept this," the Genii said towards Emmagan.

"Today's events give us opportunity. Iketani hoped to win power for herself, but we can use it against her and those she controls. That there was a betrayal within the military will allow us the opportunity to form a Council to investigate and to make sure that in the future that no one person, or small group, will be in a position of betraying the Alliance. The Military Council will enable improved military efficiency among the worlds and systems, and will allow all of you and us, to focus on the elimination of the Wraith."

"When there are those in the High Council who would agree to the death of the Elite…" the green-haired woman muttered. "Something must be done."

"They will call us traitors," another said.

"Properly worded, the formation of this Military Council can be seen to be the good that it will be," Halling responded calmly. "It should be made clear that this new council will ultimately report to the High Council, but it will allow a sole focus on the military that is sorely missing at present."

"And if they flat out refuse its formation?" Pinstripe asked.

"Then we thoroughly investigate and reveal the betrayal that occurred today to _all_ in the Alliance. The High Council will be revealed as corrupt," the Genii woman replied as she sat back with a dark smile. "They cannot risk that – it will destroy the Alliance."

Silence filled the room again as everyone considered the new options and thoughts circling in their minds. Dex turned to Emmagan and Halling. "And the Elite's place in this new Council?" There was a touch of challenge to his question, but the softness of clear friendship in his eyes as he looked to Emmagan soothed the words.

"As a part of the military, we would expect a seat on the Military Council," Emmagan replied.

Dex nodded at that. John decided that Dex had asked to make the point clear for the rest of the table.

"The laws of the High Council can be easily applied to a Military Council," Halling said. "Every system or world that has representative on the High Council will be allowed a military representative on the new council. Everyone will have a say, and agreement reached to make decisions and policies of the Alliance military as a whole. But, of all those details, we will leave to you all," he added as he and Emmagan pushed back from the table and began to stand. Around the table everyone did the same, all standing quietly their minds full of brand new possibilities.

Dex stepped back from the table, opening the way to the door for the Elite, John stepped away from the wall and followed Emmagan out of the room. Dex walked out with them through the guard filled lobby and out into the corridor beyond. The escort guard were gone, and once the door shut behind them it was just the four of them. Dex fell into step beside Emmagan, Halling behind him and John hung back enough to not be walking right beside Halling.

"It is good to see you, Ronon," Emmagan said to the man with a wide smile.

"And you. Intact as always," the large man added. He walked at a slow pace, his hands against his back, his wrists crossed over the base of his spine. Clearly he was relaxed with Emmagan and Halling, but he seemed heavily thoughtful. "I'm glad Satedan firepower saved you yet again."

"As I recall, I have saved your life at least six times so far," Emmagan replied with a smile.

Dex looked down at her with a frown. "Four times, and after today we should call it three."

"If that is so, then I consider my involvement in separating you from Iketani as another saving. So it should be back to four times," Emmagan replied, her voice more teasing than John had ever heard it before, and Halling was chuckling. Dex made a grumbling noise in reply.

"And how is your nephew?" Halling asked Dex. "We hear he is already faster and stronger than most his age."

Dex looked over his shoulder towards Halling and frowned. "He has already begun training, on Sateda," he replied a little defensively. "Elite ears and eyes stretch far."

Halling chuckled. "One day, Ronon, a Satedan will join the Elite."

Dex rolled his eyes, but his eyes fell on John for a moment and the amusement shifted to thoughtful assessment again. Dex looked back to Emmagan as they all entered the elevator.

"Who is he?" Dex asked as he gestured with his head towards John.

Emmagan looked up towards Dex, and in the elevator John was better able to see her face, and her expression was of studied amused innocence. "My new slave," she replied.

Dex lifted an eyebrow again and looked back at John. Despite what Emmagan had warned him, John decided not to play the slave role now and directly met the man's eyes. Dex's gaze skimmed over John in the way one warrior looks at another, and John had to wonder what he saw. As the man's dark eyes returned to lock with John's, the elevator stopped and the doors parted. John kept his gaze forward, looking straight back at Dex.

Emmagan stepped forward, moving through their little staring match, breaking the moment and Dex huffed out a laugh as he fell back into step with her down the corridor towards the hangar bay.

Dex looked over his shoulder to Halling and dismissively gestured to John again. "What does Kanaan think of this?" He asked amused, echoing Massa's earlier implication.

Emmagan reacted differently this time and glared at Dex, as Halling chuckled. "Kanaan has no say in anything I do, before or in the future. Speaking otherwise will not change the situation." John felt a flash of approval and pleasure at her annoyance, but then considered that maybe she just didn't like people talking about her lover. John certainly didn't like thinking about it. He wondered if there was any way he could find out who Kanaan was to her without being too obvious.

"And Maru? How is she?" Emmagan asked Dex, drawing his attention back to her, but his expression instantly closed up and he looked pointedly forward. John saw Emmagan's look of amusement, and of her victory at having turned the tide of teasing.

"She seems well," Dex replied with far too much disinterest.

Emmagan grinned up at him, her profile turned nicely into John's view. "We thought she looked well, did we not Halling?" She asked looking back towards the other Elite, who nodded in reply.

"Not showing that much yet, though," Halling replied.

Dex stopped abruptly and turned towards them. "How do you know of that?"

Emmagan grinned up at him again, her eyes sparkling. "As you said, my good friend, Elite eyes and ears extend far."

"And right into my bedroom it appears," Dex replied with a glare.

"Not that far," Emmagan replied softly. "But perhaps to your sister's letters."

Dex let out a growl as he strode forward down the corridor again. "She is simply looking to deflect your attention off her own son onto my future child," he replied.

"We have plenty of attention to watch over both," Halling replied happily as they reached the bay doors, but Dex paused before the closed hatch and turned to them. The teasing and smiles were gone and the atmosphere was back on business. Dex's dark direct stare took in both the Elite.

"You are sure there are no more in the Elite ready to stab you in the back?" He asked bluntly.

"Breack has been speaking quite freely now, and Nalla has corroborated all he has confessed," Emmagan told him.

"Iketani won't have told him anything she didn't want him to know. There could be more like him," Dex pointed out.

"We know, but we cannot betray each other either but doubting one another. We will make sure though, as best we can."

"Are you going after Iketani now?"

"We must regroup first. All Elite are meeting together and we must vet all their slaves and crew personnel. Breack will be properly interrogated and his testimony made official and legal, before we strike on Iketani," Emmagan replied.

Dex frowned down at her. "She will escape long before that, if she isn't already running now."

"Then let her run," Emmagan replied with a glint in her eye.

"You ignored her danger before, when it appeared that it had been only her slave that had compromised that mission last year – ignoring or delaying now could cost you more," Dex warned Emmagan directly.

"I know that, Ronon, but we cannot speak of keeping to laws and then walk behind those same laws and strike people down in the dark. Iketani is too proud to run far if she does, and when she is found and punished, it will be Elite who do so. It will be in a field of battle, not in a dark shadow while she sleeps."

Dex studied her for a long moment and then shrugged. "Do it your own way, but when you do, make sure to tell her that you include my strikes with yours."

"I will, Lead Commander," Emmagan stressed the title, making her approval and pleasure clear. "I suspect we will see one another again much sooner now."

"Good," Dex replied simply before he reached for her and set his hands on her shoulders. John got the impression that the big man would have hugged her if they weren't all stood in a ship's hallway.

"Take care of your self, Ronon," Emmagan replied as the bay doors opened and she moved forward, but paused. "And your family."

Dex grinned at her and then repeated his shoulder grip to Halling as well. Halling moved away and Dex's assessing eyes landed on John again. As he passed the Lead Commander, John nodded politely. If that action had changed anything of Dex's opinion it didn't show in the slightest as John kept walking following the Elite towards the waiting shuttle.

The escort guard were stood around the shuttle, keeping it secure presumably, and as they saw the Elite approach, they all filed away and the shuttle's door opened. Emmagan led the way back inside and John took his seat beside her again as the shuttle hatch closed.

Halling let out a heavy sigh as the shuttle lifted up, turned and headed out of the Balista's bay. "Let us hope that our actions will only help the future."

"This has been brewing for some time, Halling," Emmagan replied. "It is better that it occurs in a way that is legal and for the best of the Alliance."

Halling looked to her across the shuttle. "Who should we send as representative of the Elite?"

Emmagan shrugged vaguely. "It will not matter, we will decide when we are all together, and I suspect that the Military Council will afford as several to stand into that role as needed, for none of us is likely to surrender our mission time to sit on the Council full time."

"Agreed," Halling replied. "The main difficulties we now face are making sure our own are as they say they are. There may be some dark days ahead for us."

Emmagan nodded and John looked at her face, the starlight outside the shuttle ghosting over her golden skin. "But beyond that, maybe even brighter ones will lay ahead," she added.

John watched her for a beat longer and then turned away, looking out the front of the shuttle as well, to see the Sythus's waiting bay ahead. And beyond the Elite ship the planet below still burned, its atmosphere swirling with its destruction.

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TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Part**: 16/16

**Note:** Thank you everyone who has followed along with this fic - those who have reviewed and for all the others who are reading along. I'm glad you have enjoyed following along with this crazy little AU world of mine, but finally here is the last part, and in anticipation of the comments I suspect will follow this - yes, there will be sequel/s to this fic. There is far too much fun to be had in this AU world, i only hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks again for reading :)

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John was pleased to be back on the Sythus following their return from the Balista, and as they passed a small porthole, he was even more pleased to see the blue light of hyperspace outside. They were headed back into Alliance territory for the Elite to meet up with their own, but also by way of a planet with a Gate. Barring any incidents along the way, he was now on his way back to Atlantis.

The door to Emmagan's quarters opened and they stepped in to see Ketra scurrying along the side table towards them. Emmagan reached for her, stroking the dragon's silver toned back as she carried Ketra into the bedroom area. John headed straight for the closest sofa, the promise of its soft comfortable seat calling to him. He sank down into it with a sigh of delight, deep with tiredness, but he wasn't ready to give into sleep just yet.

From where he sat he could see through into the bedroom area, where Emmagan was setting Ketra down on a table. She turned then and set to freeing her swords from her back. John watched her go through the same routine he had seen her go through three times now – the swords drawn and set before her first, the scabbards removed next and then she pulled off her long coat. Finally, she slid each sword back into its scabbard and set them both carefully on a stand. It seemed like a ritual for her and he wondered how many times she must have performed it over the years. He looked from her graceful skilled hands to her face. He guessed she couldn't be more than a handful of years younger than him, but who knew with people from other planets? How long was a year for her on her home world compared to Earth?

She pulled her smaller weapons from her belt and hips, the movements quiet and relaxed and he wondered if she felt as tired as he did. His eyes dropped to his bed on the floor, only for Ketra to cut through his vision. The lizard leapt up onto the end of his sofa and regarded him. He looked back at the little dragon that had almost ripped out a Wraith's throat, but the little lizard no longer looked at him like she was considering doing the same damage to some tender part of his body. Now there seemed to be assessing curiosity to her reptilian face. He stayed still, hoping to either discourage her from hurting him, or to encourage her to be friendly.

Emmagan moved back into the sitting area. "She appears to be growing to like you," she remarked.

"Great," John replied rather less than enthusiastically as he kept his eyes on the dragon.

Ketra tilted her head at him as if studying something about him. Emmagan chuckled at them as she sat down on the sofa opposite. Ketra moved slowly across the sofa towards him and John kept absolutely still as she did, watching her cautiously. The lizard stopped within arm's reach and looked up at him expectantly – John got the message, but he wasn't convinced that it wasn't really a trap. He very slowly and carefully stretched a hand towards her, but there was no sign that she was about to bite his fingers off. He passed his hesitant hand over the spines around her neck to her little back. He slowly touched his fingertips only down onto the highest part of her back. Her skin didn't feel like anything he had expected. It looked metallic and cold, but it was smooth like satin and warm. He stroked his fingers down her back a little and then repeated the motion, oddly enjoying the smooth nature of the alien skin. She pressed her back up against his fingers, so he stroked down her back again with more pressure.

Ketra turned her head towards Emmagan across from them and then back to John, before she shifted closer until her chin rested on his thigh. John kept still, but continued stroking her back like he would to a cat or dog. The weight of her little chin on his leg increased as she settled down to enjoy his attention.

"Well done," Emmagan said.

John looked up from the lizard to the warrior across the table between them. He suspected she was talking about more than Ketra. He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to ignore the close fitting dark clothes she wore and keep his attention on what he wanted to ask her.

"Why did you want me to see that meeting?" He asked as he stroked his flat palm down Ketra's back again.

Emmagan considered his question, inhaling and letting out a breath as she settled back into the sofa and she crossed one well shaped dark clothed leg over the other. "I wished you to see that the Alliance is about to change. Iketani may have been the catalyst today, but it was likely to happen any day. Many military leaders have been biting at the hands that feed them for some time, all wanting more recognition and orders to increase our space. This way we will work together and keep everything legal."

"Is the High Council really that bad?" He asked.

"It has worked well for the Alliance, and still will, but politicians cannot understand the issues of warfare against Wraith. Until now they oversaw all decisions even in the height of battle. Soldiers are lost in such cases. That is why Elite often lead campaigns – both sides, the High Council and the military leaders, have a high regard for us, and it has allowed smooth running in the field of battle."

"You're saying that the Elite play the role of politicians?" He asked amused. "Even Oneakka?"

She smiled at that. "Not politicians as such, but we represent for the Alliance the ultimate ideal that brought the Alliance together – to defeat Wraith. That is why we wear our markings for all to see," she touched her fingertips to the edge of the tattoo at her throat, just visible through her open high collar. "Not for us, but for those who look upon us. They see warriors who are able to kill Wraith Queens and that inspires them and makes them proud of their Alliance. The High Council is important and I will always obey their rulings, but they do not know about warfare, and they know that. That is why Iketani was able to influence them, for they understood that many worlds are pushing for our borders to be extended, and that the Elite are impatient for that."

"You say you kill Queens, but there aren't any in your space, so you guys work outside the borders?" He asked.

"The borders are challenged frequently by Wraith, and small incursions occur every so often, but yes, the Queens are to be found outside our space. Elite hunt them down and have been working to keep the areas around our space Wraith free, ready for when we push outwards."

"Which is why you were on that abandoned base when we first met," John concluded.

"Yes, it lies right on the edge of our territory and was once a listening post for the Wraith. They had planed to use it again," she replied.

"I take it that base won't be a threat any more?" He asked with a smile.

"It will not," she replied with a smile of her own.

"We could learn a lot from each other," he said, originally meaning Atlantis and the Alliance, but perhaps he had also meant the two of them as well.

She kept her expression controlled, but he got the impression that she had picked up on his dual meaning. She sighed as she regarded him, turning very serious. "The Alliance's policy on Atlantis is to avoid you and to have no contact. However, the Elite have observed your people in three battles."

John looked up surprised from Ketra. "When?"

"Other than on that listening post – there were two occasions when your people were unaware of our presence and Elite observed Atlantis teams fighting against Wraith. We were impressed enough to decide to be open in contact with your people, but not to seek it out just yet."

"And if the Military Council is formed then it's likely you guys will be pushing out your borders," John added.

"Yes, and we will no doubt be meeting your people in that action," she replied. "But, whereas the High Council is suspicious of Atlantis in regards to your place in the City of the Ancestors and what political power you will continue to play in this galaxy – a military council will see you as a possible powerful ally. The Military future of the Alliance is being reformed and I wished you to understand that."

"And tell my people about it," he added.

She inclined her head. "Of course."

John glanced down at Ketra, who was half asleep tucked up against his thigh, her eyes closed and making a strange purring sound that vibrated through his leg.

He wasn't sure why he was feeling weird about all this. He had intended to find out all he could about the Alliance and she was giving him amazing insight and telling him essentially all his superiors would be interested in, but he felt oddly disappointed. He had actually achieved a major objective here, but realised that he was suddenly far more interested in finding out about the woman in front of him.

"Though, I get the impression that if I walk into Kanaan in the future - things might not be as friendly?" He looked back up to her innocently.

She looked surprised by his questions and then her eyes narrowed, as they had done with Dex's teasing. "If that is what occurs, then be assured I will make sure he is punished."

He smiled at her reply which had made no comment other than to teasingly promise that Kanaan would be told off if he hurt John. John guessed that was a compliment, but she had sidestepped his question. He let it go and tried for something else.

He looked round her quarters. "So, you live here most of your time? On the Sythus, hunting Wraith?"

"The majority of my time is spent on the Sythus, but the rest is spent at the training facilities or with my family," she answered him.

"Your family..?" He asked, wondering if she really had some kids running around somewhere – Kanaan's perhaps?

"Elkaska, whom you met at the marketing station, and my Father and Sister," she replied and her expression betrayed no indication that she had understood what he had been really asking.

"You said your Dad was a king…?"

She smiled slightly as he had hoped. "He leads the Athosian worlds."

"How many worlds is that?"

"Twelve," she replied.

"Twelve?" He replied surprised.

"Only eight are fully inhabited with people. The others are used for hunting, farming and for ceremonial uses," she replied. She settled further back into her sofa, relaxing more thoroughly. He liked that she was relaxed with him now, and he leapt at the opening she had offered into her personal life.

"You said you started your Elite training late, was that because of your father?" he asked.

"I was older than most to begin training as the fullest extent of my Gift had not been clear at a younger age. But yes, my father held back in suggesting I could join the Elite," she replied, her eyes dropping from his and he watched a more thoughtful look fill her expression. She was sharing far more than he had expected, but it thrilled him. "He initially wished me to lead our people after him."

John pulled his attention back from the details of her beautiful face, her wide lips and smoothly covered body and regarded her once more as the Elite warrior. He remembered her calm manner in both the fight against the Wraith and in the meeting on the Balista. "I can see why," he replied honestly. She seemed made to be a leader.

She inclined her head very slightly in response to his compliment as she carried on with her story. "As Dex remarked, the Elite always notice the most skilled children and it is considered an honour for a family, and their world, to offer a child to the Elite. My father was rather conflicted on whether I should go or not when I was younger. It was only when I was older and my sensing skills clear that the Elite stepped in to request me for training."

"Elite request?" John asked doubtfully as he too settled further back in the sofa, his hand still on Ketra. Emmagan's lips twitched with a smile.

"My father being of such a powerful position would have been able to deny the request and not lose honour or standing, but I liked the prospect of fighting Wraith even when I was very small. I used to travel with Elkaska on some trading trips and had seen Elite from a distance. Their life appealed to my soul."

"How old were you?"

"I was only a few yearly cycles old when I first saw an Elite warrior, but it was not until I was nine yearly cycles that they requested my presence. It took my father a further cycle to allow it." John tried to imagine this woman as a small child, but it was difficult. One thing he was sure of was that she would have been a proud strong willed girl. He wondered how much it had hurt her father to give her up to a life of an Elite.

"He didn't want you to be hurt?"

"At the time I saw his delay in deciding as him pressing his influence over my future, wishing me to be his replacement," she replied.

"My father was the same," he found himself suddenly telling her. He hadn't talked about his father with anyone for years, but the strange sense of similarity between him and Emmagan brought the old feelings immediately to life once again.

She regarded him closely and he guessed he had shown some of those emotions in his face. "He did not wish you to be a warrior?" She asked.

"He wanted me to work for the family business, but I wanted to be a pilot," he confessed, again speaking about something he rarely even thought about anymore. The old emotions stirred further in his chest, the pain and hurt, but he pressed them back down. His father hadn't understood or agreed with him about anything and thought John foolish and useless.

"It would have been a great loss to your people if you had been dissuaded from becoming a pilot." John glanced up at her compliment, to see her expression held no touch of teasing or simply repeating his compliment to her earlier. "Is he proud of you now?" She asked.

He broke his eyes from hers and back down to the now sleeping Ketra, who despite clearly lost in a dream was still purring. "I haven't spoken to him in years."

"That is unfortunate," she replied carefully. "But it is important for us to choose our own destiny."

He looked back up to her and met her lovely dark eyes. He nodded. "You see your family a lot?" He asked, turning the focus back on her.

"I visit as much as I am able, but not as often as I like." Her attention moved away from him towards a statue fixed on the centre the main table. It was a curved beautiful swirling sculpture. From this angle John thought it looked like a dancing woman, but it had no clear shape to it. A piece of art presumably. He looked back to Emmagan seeing the soft look in her eyes.

"What's your home called?"

"Athos," she replied. "It is a very beautiful world. The main city is set among a forest with a wide lake nearby. The buildings of the city tower over open pools of water, reflecting through glass and around trees."

John thought it sounded a very beautiful place, rather like its people if Emmagan as anything to go by. "Am I likely to see any other Athosians around?" He asked.

She looked back towards him. "Halling, Si and Kanaan are all Athosian," she replied with a proud smile. "I have known Halling since I was a child and I met Si during our Elite training. Si is also a Seeker, so we have spent many years training together."

"And Kanaan?" John asked.

"He is a skilled engineer, whom I have also known since I was young."

"Childhood sweethearts?" He asked, trying not to feel the sense of impending disappointment.

She lifted her eyebrows at the term. "Kanaan and I have been friends for many years," she replied with the same tone she had used against Massa and Dex. "And you? You have any family of your own, other than your father?"

"A brother back on Earth, but I haven't spoken to him in years either. He took the job being Dad's second," John told her. "He's way better at it than I ever would've been anyway."

"You were instead destined to be a pilot," she pointed out again, sounding both defensive and encouraging. He smiled at her again.

"And your sister? The one who might take over leading your people?" John asked, remembering their conversation back on the marketing station. "Do you two get on?"

"Yes, my sister and I get on well, for the most part," she added. John lifted his eyebrows in a silent challenging question. "She is younger than me and does not always make the best decisions," she added.

John gave her a frown. "That sounds like older sibling talk. She's going to take over the Athosian worlds, so she can't be that bad at making decisions."

"It is not certain that she will be elected into that position, and that day is hopefully far away when our father will no longer lead our people. She lives her life in preparation for that day though, following our father's choices."

John remembered something from her discussion with Elkaska back in the market hall. "Your Uncle said something about her and a guy?"

Emmagan frowned. "Rhakshar. He is from a very powerful family of a very powerful set of systems within the Alliance. He is known to be highly ambitious and I suspect his interest in my sister may be to extend his influence."

"Or that's what your sister is up to," John suggested.

Her eyes met his with a smile. "Perhaps. Marriages are used as political tools within much of the Alliance."

"Really?" John asked.

"Agreements between worlds and systems have often been secured by such marriages," she replied. "They are political only, requiring nothing more from the two concerned than that they spend a certain amount of time together each year. And it will bind Rharshar's people with those of Athos."

"Sounds a bit…" John didn't really know what to call it. "Old fashioned."

"It is an old tradition, created when worlds were frequently attacked by Wraith. Keeping strong alliances with other worlds was important and allowed certain powerful people to escape to another world for some of their time. My father believes it is a tradition worth keeping - to further Athosian blood among other worlds and to establish long lasting alliances through generations to come."

"Does your sister _have_ to marry that way?"

"No, but it will be how she chooses, for she is politically focused. Plus, there is no restriction on having lovers alongside a political marriage. I sometimes suspect that my father's reticence at losing me to the Elite may in part be due to losing me as a political tool for marriage," she said, but was smiling with amusement as she said it.

John felt appalled. "He would marry you off for political gain?"

Her amusement deepened as she smiled at him. "There is no restriction on the individuals and no requirement to share a bed, so it does not affect one as much as you would imagine."

John still couldn't help frowning at the idea. Against his thigh, Ketra had woken up when he had stopped stroking her and she struggled up from John's leg, blinking around. John ran his hand idly down her back again. She moved away though, sleepily hopping from John's sofa, across the table to Emmagan's boot set against the table's edge. There the dragon climbed swiftly up Emmagan's leg to her lap, where she curled up and fell asleep again. The outside of John's thigh felt cold without Ketra .

"But, now you're an Elite, you don't have to marry that way, right?" He asked as he pulled his eyes up from Ketra, though he had actually been looking at the shape of Emmagan's legs and hips.

"No, mainly because Elite are always moving from one mission to the next and a husband following me around would likely be hurt. And the life of an Elite can be cut short at any time, which does not lend them for such marriages."

John frowned at her description of her life, but he was glad that she wasn't some princess waiting to be used as a political chess piece. It was strange to learn that the Alliance, though advanced with their technology, still used such old fashioned thinly veiled traditions. He guessed that regardless to technology available they were all still human, and politics was politics.

"If the day arrives when Atlantis does begin to trade with worlds within the Alliance, I would suggest Athos," she told him. "My people have a long history of trading with many worlds and are always open to new opportunities. My father has already spoken with interest about Atlantis, and he will be very interested to learn what I have discovered from you."

John tucked away the information on trading, feeling that it was something close to an invitation on her part towards Atlantis. "And if you ever want to know more about Atlantis, you should come and visit. We'll be open to talk, anytime," he extended the invitation in return.

She inclined her head. "I hope one day I will have the opportunity to visit the City of the Ancestors."

He smiled in reply to her. This was the kind of first contact he liked – nice friendly, honest, pretty aliens. He kept his gaze on her for a touch longer than was necessary, making sure she knew he was definitely interested in further contact in the future if the time ever arrived.

She smiled widely at him, amusement sparkling in her eyes, but she looked down as she set her hands around Ketra. "I would say that it is time for sleep. It has been a very long day for all of us," she said as she stood up, but her last words seemed directed more towards the sleepy dragon in her hands. Ketra made some grumbling noises as Emmagan carried her around the table to the wooden lizard home. Emmagan set her into the upper level and as he got up John watched the lizard snuggle up on her bed and fall back to sleep.

"She saved my life," John said quietly as he watched the dragon, his eyes drifting up to the fluffy toy set on the top. How could something be so snugly one moment, ready to play with a soft toy, and the next kill Wraith?

"She has only been in battle once before," Emmagan told him as she moved away from the table. "She will become even more formidable as she grows."

John could remember the teeth and blood. "Not sure why she changed her mind about me," he wondered out loud.

"Perhaps it was seeing you kill Wraith, or perhaps in fighting alongside you that she accepted you," Emmagan considered as she headed towards her own sleeping area. John turned and watched her.

"Is that what the Elite think?" He asked, aware that perhaps he was asking was that what she thought.

She paused and turned back towards him. Now she was no longer sat resting on the sofa, Ketra snuggled up on her lap, she looked the proud warrior again. She regarded him for a moment, her mood more serious now.

"The Elite are warriors, and as such there is the tendency to judge strength by fighting skills and courage. You showed both today and in extension throw good light on the rest of your people. But, as Halling stated, it is unwise to judge an entire people from one individual."

"Or an entire Alliance by one group of Elite," John considered in return.

She smiled as she nodded. "I agree. But, perhaps, it is a good start – for both our peoples."

--------

The next morning the Sythus dropped out of hyperspace above the world of Tallus. John peered out of a viewport to the faintly reddish world below. True to her word, Emmagan had brought him to the first planet with a Gate on the Sythus' route back to their training base to meet with the rest of the Elite and face the new future of the Alliance's military. He hoped that Iketani had only employed Breack among the Elite to help her. After the last few days with these warriors, John had developed a healthy respect for them and he hoped that things would work out for them. In fact he regretted that he was leaving so soon really, he would have liked to have seen how things played out, but then he guessed he would find out in the future. He only hoped that when the Alliance and Atlantis met in the future that it would be in the right way, and he hoped that by being here through this big event, that the Elite would believe that Atlantis could be an ally.

Emmagan's presence grew closer by his side, a reminder, and he pulled his gaze away from Tallus below, and they continued on their route towards the hangar bay. The doors of which opened to reveal the shuttle yet again, but surprisingly beside it stood Si, Halling and Oneakka. They turned as he and Emmagan entered.

"So, we are to finally be rid of your 'slave'," Oneakka stated as they approached.

"Indeed we are," Emmagan replied amused.

Si moved into the shuttle and John saw him appear in the pilot position, which meant that he would be the one taking the shuttle down to Tallus.

As they reached the shuttle, Halling stepped towards John. The tall man's eyes were earnest as he smiled down at John. "It has been good to meet you, Major Sheppard of Atlantis. I hope that we cross paths again in the future."

"Same to you, Halling. And thanks for putting up with me," he added, honestly touched at the man's words. Halling smiled and inclined his head in a brief bow which John returned.

Oneakka stepped up beside Halling. "Try to put on some more muscle," Oneakka told him. "Ketra can't always be around to save you."

John smiled at the teasing. He wasn't sure when he had earned the scary man's approval, maybe in the fight as Emmagan suggested, but John was surprised how much he returned the sentiment. Oneakka was not someone you never wanted to upset, but for some reason John really liked the guy. Maybe it was his blunt honesty, or maybe it was simply John's relief that he hadn't tried to kill him. Either way, John realised he was going to miss these guys.

"In the future, if you see people running around in Atlantis uniforms, try to ask questions first and shoot later, okay?" John asked him hopefully.

Oneakka shrugged dismissively, promising nothing as he moved away, but John saw the smile. He turned and watched the two men move away, their weapons strapped to them. They were big men, warriors through to their bones and he silently wished them well. Emmagan said the life of an Elite could be short, but he hoped those two would live forever.

He turned back towards Emmagan, but she was already inside the shuttle. Immensely pleased that she was going to accompany him down to the planet he climbed in beside her. As the hatch shut and Si fired up the engines she turned to John and held out a tiny device.

"This contains details on all markings of ships and uniforms of all those in the Alliance, so that your people will likewise 'shoot later'." John accepted the device and tucked it away in a pocket of his jacket safely.

"And this," she handed him a dark coloured box the size of his hand. "Contains a crystal for a portal's dialling device that will emit a signal through a portal, a Stargate, if you wish to contact me." John was surprised by the offer and reached for it, but she kept hold of the other end and he looked up to her eyes. "It is to only be used if it is important, and be aware that it will broadcast the location of the portal used to send it. A central receiving post will relay the signal to me wherever I am in the Alliance. I will then contact you through the portal that you used to send the signal."

She released the other end of the box and John took it carefully. "Thank you," he said honestly.

"It can only be used once, so do not have your people test it in any way, as it will burn out as a safety measure," she added. John nodded and added the box to another larger pocket.

"I don't have anything to offer in return," he said as he looked at her beside him. "Other than to say again that Atlantis can be an ally to the Alliance."

Emmagan nodded in reply, but didn't comment any further. He guessed that the future was a fluid thing for someone like her, especially with everything about to change in the Alliance. She had shown him much of her world, but she had also made it clear that the Alliance's view of Atlantis wasn't that bright. He and Emmagan had forged a strange sort of friendship, but it was tenuous in the light of the fact that their people might end up being enemies in the future. He hoped that wouldn't happen, and would do all he could to prevent it, but then politics was a beast unto itself. But, he would write the most detailed and honest report he could on his experiences with the Elite. He hoped that through sharing his experiences with these people that the IOA and SGC would see the real potential, as well as the danger, of the Elite and the Alliance.

Emmagan was looking out the front and he looked past her to see the clear atmosphere of Tallus outside, and realised he had missed his last chance to see the Sythus.

The shuttle descended with Si's clear skill and in no time the shuttle was heading towards an open space below, in the centre of which John could see the familiar grey circle of a Gate. It was a relief to see it, but also made him a little sad. He felt like some great adventure was over and he glanced back to Emmagan beside him. He was going to miss her.

The shuttle set down a short distance away from the Gate and Emmagan led the way out of the hatch. John followed, stepping down onto the red soil of Tallus.

"See you in the future, Sheppard," Si called out from inside the shuttle and John looked back in and nodded to the large dark man.

"Thanks for the sparing lesson," he called back inside and he heard Si chuckle as he turned back towards the Gate to see Emmagan was already moving forward.

He followed her, for the last time, across the red ground. In the distance he could see the edge of a dark green forest. From above he had noted the small clusters of trees across the landscape, but most of this world appeared to be wide open space. It was in the centre of this wide expanse that the Gate sat, and towards which he and Emmagan walked. Once they walked a reasonable distance from the shuttle, John lengthened his steps and fell into step beside her, rather than walking behind her any more. She glanced round at him with a slight smile.

Ahead of them the DHD stood before the Gate, red soil piled up against one of its sides. As they reached the DHD, stopping before it, Emmagan turned to him. "I will not remain to watch you dial Atlantis, I understand its position is a guarded secret," she told him. "But, it is best to check that the portal still has power, the soil here occasionally gets into the dial device and breaks the connection."

John reached out and pressed the first symbol of Atlantis' address and it lit up brightly and ahead of them the Gate activated.

"Good," Emmagan said with a smile as she turned back towards him. He set his bag down against the DHD and regarded her in return.

"Thanks for everything," he told her. "I won't forget all you did. If you need to be repaid for anything...?" She waved the offer away.

"I consider it an investment in the future, in forging good relations between your people and mine," she replied.

"Well, that aside," John replied. "I appreciate all you've done for me."

"As I remember it I took you into a warzone," she said with a smile.

"True," he replied. "But, it was _interesting_."

She smiled again – he really liked her smile. He hadn't seen her smile that much around others, but he thought he had made her smile quite a few times over the last few days and he liked that as well.

"It has been an honour to meet you Major John Sheppard," she said.

"You too, Honoured Elite Emmagan," he replied remembering the title from the Balista. He stretched out his hand towards her, and she must have remembered the gesture as she reached out immediately to take his hand.

"Teyla," she added as they shook hands.

He paused, still holding her hand. "Teyla?"

"My first given name," she explained.

John grinned at her offer. The urge to kiss her was there, but it didn't seem quite right in the circumstances and he wasn't all that sure she would welcome it, so he did something he had never done before. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Teyla," he said as he released her hand slowly.

There was definitely something in her eyes now, a flicker of clear interest, but she schooled her features. But the atmosphere lingered as she moved away, her shoulder just skimming against his as she moved back towards the shuttle. He turned to watch her, noticing the trail of dual footprints they had walked all the way here from the shuttle.

"I hope that our paths will cross again, John," she called back to him and he liked the way she said his name. "Until then, try to look where you are walking."

He rolled his eyes at her grin as she turned away completely and walked off straight towards the shuttle, creating a third set of footprints between the first two. John watched her, memorising the moment and the sight of her curvaceous figure, knowing that he would be thinking about her for some time.

As she reached the shuttle he turned away, looking down to the DHD. The first symbol had deactivated so he triggered it again and dialled up Atlantis. As the Gate worked its magic, he looked back round to the shuttle, where it still sat on the ground. The wormhole burst to life behind him and he turned back to it. Emmagan had given him a radio and he pulled it out of a pocket and turned it to his best guess at Atlantis' radio frequencies on the alien device.

"This is Major John Sheppard, calling Atlantis, come in," he repeated into the radio a few times as he adjusted the frequency and finally someone responded.

"Major Sheppard?" A tech's voice replied.

"Yes, Sheppard here. Code Gamma Gamma Delta four," he relayed his latest code.

"Sheppard, that you?" Sumner's voice was oddly pleasing to hear.

"Yes, Sir, it's really me," John replied.

"We thought the Wraith got you," Sumner asked, his suspicion and caution clear.

"It's a long story, Sir, but I'm alone and ready to come back home."

"We'll redial your Gate and send a team through," Sumner replied and abruptly the Gate shut off.

Typical.

John turned back towards the shuttle and saw that it had taken off now, but remained overhead in the distance. John looked up at it and wished that he had been able to persuade her to come back to Atlantis with him, to get the alliance between their people going, but she and the Elite had enough on their plate right now. He was going to miss her.

Behind him the Gate dialled and the wormhole flashed to life over his shoulder. He watched as the shuttle banked and began its ascension up through the sky. He took one last look at the disappearing Elite shuttle and hoped he was going to see her again. Sooner rather than later.

He heard boots step through the event horizon behind him and turned to see the smiling expressions of Ford and Lorne.

-------  
THE END


End file.
